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t/r. 1903- 




JAMES P- EAGLE 




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Mary K. O. Eagle 



A BRIEF MEMOIR 



OF 



MARY K. EAGLE 



WITH 

TRIBUTES 
FROM HEfe FpVeIIdS 

L'J 

PREPARED AND ARRANGED BY 
HER HUSBAND 

James P. Eagle 



1903 



press of Arkansas Democrat Co. 
little rock 



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£ 



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DEDICATED 
To the Memory of Mary K. 



By her Loving Husband, James P. Eagle. 



When I was contemplating preparing and publish- 
ing this memoir of the one who was my chief support 
in every department of life- in which we had for twenty- 
one years moved together in such loving harmony, I 
realized that words were vain to express all that she 
had been to me. Who could portray the excellence of 
her exalted character. Self-renouncing in her fidelity 
to what she conceived to be right ; self-denying and self- 
sacrificing in her devotion to the cause she espoused; 
gentle as the evening breeze; pure as the snowflake; 
tender as the smile of the rose; firm as the granite 
hills — as I thought upon these and the many other 
virtues of the one who had made life so sweet to me, 
I felt as one of former years: "It is high; I cannot 
attain to it." I knew my inability to rise to the height 
of this sublime subject, and yet I felt impelled to write 
some words in memory of her who was more to me than 
all else of earth. 



In the summer of 1870, I first met her. It was 
the occasion of the annual fair in Richmond, Ky., and 
many had been attracted thither. A finer display of 
wit and beauty and intelligence could rarely be found 
than was gathered in the amphitheater on that, to me, 
momentous day. To her alone, out of all the throng, 
my attention was directed by that unseen power that 
controls the destinies and affections of men. Attrac- 
tive, indeed, many were, but none had for me the 
charms that Mamie, the farmer's daughter, just 
budding into womanhood, possessed. 

Two years later, when she had graduated from 
Mrs. T/evis' famous female school at Shelby ville, Ky., 
I visited her in her own home. One evening as we sat 
in the moonlight on the rocks, I looked into her beau- 
tiful face, sparkling with intelligence, and told her of 
my love. Such a treasure was not easily to be won, 
and yet I lived in the hope that patient waiting would 
have its reward. The years went by, and as I visited 
her from time to time, finding her ever the same happy- 
hearted, contented nature, making and keeping friends 
on every side, a leader in those things that made life 
brighter for self and for others, I felt more and more 
convinced that, without her love to cheer, life would 
be indeed a lonely existence for me. After twelve 
years of waiting the reward came to me, and on January 
3, 1882, we were united in holy wedlock. We came 
at once to Arkansas and took up our abode on our 
plantation in the country, where, not one month, but 
seven years of honeymoon, was spent. 

4 



My poorly-kept bachelor's quarters were, under her 
skilled direction, quickly transformed into a home fit 
for royalty itself, and rightly so, for was not a queen to 
reign there \ When we had been married a year, a 
friend asked me how I liked the change. I replied: 
" I have been in the world and have existed forty-five 
years, but I am only one year old." From preference, 
we early formed the habit of seeing as much of each 
other as possible. Much of my time was spent looking 
after the work on my farm, but when I reached home, 
Mamie was always there ready to greet me with a smile 
and loving words. I left home only when duty called 
me away, and then she nearly always went with me. 
Home, in fact, was in a large measure taken* with us 
wherever we went. How pleasant she made our home 
for me, and I endeavored to do the same for her. 
Scarcely a day passed in which we did not express our 
love for each other, and our hearty co-operation in life's 
work as it had fallen to our lot. When troubled and 
perplexed, I found her ever ready with words of sym- 
pathy and cheer ; her loving hands were prompt to lend 
her husband assistance. When duty for a time sepa- 
rated us, never a day passed without an interchange of 
letters, mentioning the occurrences of the day, express- 
ing our regrets at being separated, and making anew 
the declaration of our love. As the years go by, it will 
be a source of comfort to me to withdraw from the busy 
cares of life and now and again read these messages 
of love. 

We had no secrets; we communicated fully and 
freely, touching all matters ; we almost knew each other's 

5 



thoughts. Neither of us claimed a privilege that the 
other was not at liberty to enjoy. Our companionship 
was close and constant. After we had gained an insight 
into one another's way of thinking and seeing things, 
it was not difficult for one to know what the opinion 
of the other would be touching any subject. We had 
grown together ; we had largely ceased to be twain, and 
had become one; we had married after God's plan. 
Thus for twenty-one short years we lived together. 
The days and years were filled with domestic happiness. 
It seemed but a short time to me, and yet it embraced, 
what was to me, the happiest, the most fruitful portion 
of my life. Sweeter and more lovely was she to me 
the day she went home to God than when, in the pres- 
ence of God and man, we assumed the marriage vows. 

She took great pride and pleasure in her home. 
The stranger had only to enter its portals to know that 
he was in a home where reigned an American queen. 
Those who frequented that home, and noted the taste 
and order there displayed, found their love and 
admiration for her continually on the increase. How 
delightful was that lovely place to me, where the queen 
of my heart reigned in undisputed sway; but now its 
charms are vanished, and her portrait, before which I 
often stand and admire and weep and rejoice, the 
tastefully decorated walls> the pictures arranged undei 
her direction, the books she loved, all serve but to 
remind me of the one I loved and lost. 

Her loving solicitude for her husband was noted 
even by the casual observer. In small as well as in large 
matters, at home or abroad, everywhere she was ever 

6 



on the alert to see that everything contributed to his 
comfort and pleasure. During the last weeks of her 
illness, in keeping with her request, suffering as she 
was almost every moment, many things were done, look- 
ing forward to his comfort when she was to be no longer 
with him.- She was not forgetful of him when her 
" Better Home" was almost in sight, and to her brother 
and his wife she said : " When I am gone, I want you 
all to take care of Governor Eagle; he will need some 
one to look after him and care for him." Scarcely a 
moment has passed since the Lord took her from me 
that I have not missed her. I am constantly reminded 
that a part of myself has been taken away, and that the 
better part. How I miss her, it is beyond human speech 
to tell ! " Oh, my side, my side, my side I" 

Early in 1888, when I was considering the ques- 
tion of entering the canvass for the nomination for 
governor, Mamie was slow in giving her consent. She 
said that she was happy in her home with her husband, 
and that she did not know what might follow if he 
entered politics. She finally said : " Do as you wish, 
and I will be in full accord with you, contributing what 
I can to help you." During a long canvass, and a most 
exciting and prolonged convention, she played a very 
conspicuous and helpful part, communicating with 
friends, writing letters, distributing campaign litera- 
ture, and making helpful suggestions. Part of her 
time was spent in the campaign with her husband, and 
part at headquarters in Little Rock. Never for a 
moment did she falter or become discouraged, and the 
wisdom of her counsel and the friends that she made 



contributed much to my success in securing the 
nomination. She accompanied me over almost 
the entire State in making two canvasses with 
my opponents, helpful, hopeful, and inspiring 
at all times. During my two terms of office, 
Mamie had full control of the social side of the 
administration, and was allowed to exercise her own 
judgment and good taste in receiving and entertaining 
friends and visitors in our home. What she wanted to 
do, she did, and did it well. I was proud of her and 
of her able management. She contributed much to 
the good name and high standing of the State at home 
and abroad. It is just to her memory to say that in 
but one instance did she try to influence her husband in 
the discharge of his official duty, and that was in the 
interest of a convict. 

For months during my last year of public service 
I was ill, unable to go to the office, and at times not 
expected to live. Mamie was my nurse, and was by my 
side day and night. As my last term was drawing to a 
close, I said to her one day : " My dear, my message to 
the General Assembly has not been prepared and I can- 
not do the work ; won't you do it for me ?" She said with 
emotion : " I will.*" From time to time I gave her 
data on the subjects to be treated. She wrote the entire 
message, except one article, and that she revised. When 
the message was ready for the printer, she read it to 
me in full, and with few changes it was approved. 
She also read the proof, looked after the printing, and 
had the work ready for the meeting of the General 
Assembly in January, 1893, as required by law. This 



body passed resolutions, highly commending the 
message. These facts are not generally known, as I 
have told them to but few friends; but it is with pride 
and pleasure that I make this acknowledgment and pay 
this just tribute to her memory. In the history of 
the states, I suppose there is not another instance where 
the Governor's wife with her own hand wrote her 
husband's message. At the great Columbian Expo^ 
sition in 1893, Mamie was a member of the Board of 
Lady Managers. She was placed on several important 
committees, notably the Executive, the Historical, and 
the Woman's Congresses. She rendered efficient service 
on all these committees. As chairman of the Committee 
on Woman's Congresses, in the Woman's Building, 
she engaged all the speakers and lecturers, selecting 
them from nearly every state in the Union and from 
the leading nations of the globe. She presided over all 
the meetings of this committee, and after the close of the 
Exposition, she edited and published, in book form, the 
papers read in the congress. Quite frequently the 
Board of Lady Managers held meetings during the 
Exposition, and many perplexing and important ques- 
tions were discussed by them. I attended all these 
meetings, and it is not unjust to the other members of 
the Board for me to say that, for knowledge of parlia- 
mentary law, an insight into involved questions, and 
skill in dispatching business in an orderly manner, she 
was the peer of any. Her acquaintance with the Board 
of Lady Managers, the Board of Directors, and the 
officers of the Exposition, and the many friendships 



thus formed afforded her food for many pleasant 
recollections. 

She kept up her social duties as long as her health 
would allow, and her attractive manners and desire to 
add something to the pleasure of others made her a 
charming hostess and a privileged guest. Under no cir- 
cumstances did she approve of anything that would in 
the least tend toward evil. She believed that people of 
ordinary intelligence ought to be able to entertain each 
other for an hour without having to resort to cards, 
games of chance or other lower forms of entertainment. 
Under no conditions was wine served or cards played in 
her house. She believed in the principle advocated by 
the Apostle Paul, " Abstain from all appearance of 
evil." She was connected with some of the Club organi- 
zations of the city, and was one of the founders of the 
Woman's Co-operative Association. At intervals she 
attended the meetings of the State and National Feder- 
ation of Women's Clubs, and gathered much pleasure 
and profit from them. 

Her untiring and unselfish efforts to be useful and 
helpful to others were most pronounced. She never let 
an opportunity for this pass unimproved. She gave 
much of her time, her thought and her means to the help 
of the helpless, and it was her delight to administer 
joy and comfort to the cast-down and discouraged. The 
practice of this helpful service was a great joy to her 
all her life; nor was it overlooked in her last hours 
upon earth. In that awful moment, when the spirit 
seemed about to take its flight, she requested her hus- 
band to remember certain ones in a substantial way. 

10 



It cannot be said of Mamie that she ever encouraged 
"anyone to take a step backward or downward, but her 
words and deeds tended always to elevate, to ennoble, 
to lead to higher, better things. 

Her well-defined and active Christian life was her 
crowning jewel. At the age of twenty she united with 
the church, having been a believer for several years, 
and then began her active leadership in Christian work. 
Not long after arriving in Arkansas, she Ted in organ- 
izing the Woman's Central Committee, auxiliary to the 
Baptist^ State Convention, and for years she was the 
recognized leader among her sisters in her adopted State 
in the work of this organization. One of her chief 
delights was found in attending the meetings of the 
Arkansas Baptist State Convention, where she met and 
was associated with the men and women whom she loved 
and who were active workers in the Master's cause, 
striving to give the Gospel of Christ to lost souls, aiding 
in building educational institutions for our people, and 
in every way endeavoring to advance the cause in our 
State. She gave much of her time to organizing 
missionary societies in the Baptist churches of the 
State, and her great desire was to induce the Baptist 
women of the State to take part in giving the pure 
word of God to the people within its borders. She was 
never better pleased than when devising and helping 
to devise means by which to reach, help and uplift 
fallen humanity, to make the world brighter and better, 
to touch lost souls and to lead them to Christ and His 
salvation. " They that be wise shall shine as the 
brightness of the firmament, and they that turn many to 

1 1 



righteousness, as the stars forever and ever." And, 
again : " Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord 
from henceforth : Yea^ saith the Spirit, that they may 
rest from their labors and their works do follow them." 
For several years she attended preaching with her 
husband at a little church in the country, of which he 
was pastor. The saints in this little congregation 
became very dear to her and she to them. When, on 
account of ill-health, she could no longer be with them, 
often would she send them religious papers and 
messages of love. Being much from her home church, 
it had not the privilege of her undivided Christian 
influence and effort, yet among its membership her 
memory will long remain. 

For years she attended the meetings of the 
Southern Baptist Convention, and there gained the love 
and admiration of many of God's elect who attend that 
great meeting. Her wide range of knowledge, her 
goodness of heart and her well-rounded Christian 
character impressed all who knew her well. In the 
Missionary Union, auxiliary to the Convention, she was 
an officer and an active participant in its work. 

With all of her various obligations to her home, 
her church, and to society, she did not neglect her 
Bible. She was a Bible student. , 

I was watching by her side a few nights before she 
was taken from me. I took from her desk her Bible. 
I opened it and began to read. I found many Scrip- 
tures marked. I began with Genesis and turned leaf 
by leaf through the entire book. In every book I found 

12 



marked verses, except in John's Second General Epistle, 
"which has only one chapter and thirteen verses. From 
these marked Scriptures her pastor made selections 
which were read at her funeral service. 

For a long time she w r as a great sufferer. I was 
almost constantly by her for many months in her 
last illness. She bore with patience the hand of afflic- 
tion ; but it was a great strain on me to k§ep her from 
detecting my apprehensions, for I was fearful that she 
was not to be with me much longer, and loving her as 
I did, my whole life wrapped up in her life, even the 
rays of hope that would occasionally enter were power- 
less to dispel the shadow that was slowly deepening. 
Her health gradually declined until the last few weeks, 
when she sank rapidly. When it was known that she 
could live but a few days, her brothers and sisters who 
lived in Kentucky and Washington, D. C, were sum- 
moned, and were fortunate enough to arrive a few 
hours before she left us. She recognized them and 
spoke lovingly to each one. On Saturday, February 
14, 1903, in the forenoon, being conscious that my 
much loved companion could live but a short time at 
most, I addressed her lovingly in the presence of her 
brother, W. K. Oldham, Mrs. W. K. Oldham, her sister, 
Mrs. Kate Miller, and Miss Willie Hocker, saying: 
" My dear, do you know that you are to leave us very 
soon ?" She answered, " Yes ; what does the doctor 
say ?" " He thinks that you may live through the day 
and possibly through the night, but he says you may go 
at any time." A sweet, beautiful smile of resignation 

13 



and triumph came over her face and she said: " That 
is all right; I shall be relieved of this suffering. You 
have been a good, kind, and loving husband to me ; you 
have made me a good and happy home here. I regret 
to leave you, but I have a better home up there where 
I am going. I have made no mistake; I am trusting 
in Jesus." I said to her : " I wish you could live that 
I might be better to you than I have been." " You 
could not be a more perfect husband than you have 
been," was her reply. " I would gladly go with you, 
if it was God's will. I will be of little use in the world 
without you ; I will soon follow you any way," I said. 
" No," said she, a you will not come for a long time, but 
you will come; you have much work yet to do." She 
spoke in the most loving and affectionate terms to me. 
Her voice was stronger and clearer than it had been 
for months; her mind was never clearer. She said: 
" At the funeral, which I want to take place in our 
home, have them sing ' My Faith Looks Up to Thee/ — 
her favorite song- — i I Would Not Live Always/ — her 
mother's favorite song — 'How Firm a Foundation/ and 
if a fourth hymn is needed, ' Jesus, Lover of My Soul.' 
Write them down," and her order was obeyed. She 
named Mesdames C. D. Wood, J. J. Doyne, C. E. Witt, 
C. M. Newton, E. B. Kinsworthy, and A. L. Smith, 
members of her church, to place flowers on her grave. 
She then said to Mrs. Oldham : " Is my gown fin- 
ished ?" " It is," was the reply. " Bring it to me, I 
want to see it." It was brought and placed before her* 
After a somewhat critical inspection, she said, " It is all 

14 



right/' then addressing those present : " Will it do ?" 
to which an affirmative answer was made. She then 
directed the gown to be removed and told us where to 
find other garments necessary for her burial. She 
distributed her jewelry to those present, sending some 
to relatives not present. She took from her hand a ring 
that she had worn all her married life, and placed it 
on my finger ; she then gave me a ring, with instructions 
to give it to Miss Mary Kavanaugh Chism/who on her 
own motion had dropped her name when she was about 
ten years of age, and had taken Mamie's name. She 
also gave direction about other personal possessions. 
She requested that her portrait and mine, made by the 
same artist, be kept together by me, and that I give my 
portrait which hangs in our hall to the State, to be 
placed in the Secretary of State's office until such time 
as, with propriety, it could be placed in the governor's 
office. She spoke kindly of her attending physician. 
Some of us were weeping, and all eyes were full of tears. 
Noticing this she said : " Don't be excited ; this must 
be; it is all right. I have other things I would like 
to speak of, but I am growing weak." Looking at me, 
she said : " You know what I desire done, you will 
do right ; I trust all to you." I have noted with care 
everything that I could recall that my darling wanted 
me to do. Some of her requests have already been com- 
plied with; in due time they shall all have attention. 
She bade us good-bye, lest she might not be able to do so 
when the end w T as at hand. W. H. Eagle, his wife, and 
daughter, Bessie, and Mrs. E. E. L. Eagle, came in and 

15 



spoke to her for the last time. When my brother 
entered the room, she smiled and extended her hand, 
before he had reached her bedside. After this she sank 
rapidly, and spoke but little, though she was conscious 
till the last minute. 

On Sunday morning at 4:30 o'clock, February 15, 
1903, my beloved fell asleep in Jesus. In that death 
chamber, as her spirit took its flight from earth to 
heaven, while my poor heart was crushed and bleeding, 
it seemed the very light of the eternal day had dawned, 
thus full of glory was her departure. 



16 



To Mamie, Dear. 

With all the powers of my soul 

I loved thee, Mamie, dear; 
No other one in all the world 

My love for thee could share. 

Throughout the fragment of my life 
My thoughts shall turn to thee ; 

Thy loving hand, unseen, shall aid, - 
My helpmate still thou'lt be. 

In lonely hours thy soft, sweet voice 
Shall comfort bring and cheer ; 

Thy gracious love and tender care 
Shall still be with me, dear. 

That love that through the varied years 

Was steadfast, pure and true, 
Is yet my stay, it gives me strength 

Life's battles to renew. 

And when life's toil is ended here, 

When all my work is done, 
Some bright, glad day — 'twill not be long- 

Thou wilt give me welcome home. 

Thy "better home" my home shall be ; 

No parting shall be there ; 
With Christ our Savior we shall reign; 

His glories we shall share. 



to x 



Be still, sad heart, a little while, 
And then, the conflict o'er, 

With thy dear love, in joy supreme, 
Thou shalt be evermore. 



17 



Dr. T. W. O'Kelley's Oration at the Funeral 
of Mrs. J. P. Eagle. 

There is nothing more common than death. It is 
as common as life. Every new-born babe is but a fresh 
target for the poisoned arrows of the King of Terrors. 
Ward off his darts as we may, we must fall before them 
at last. The solemn procession to the cemetery is one 
of the most familiar sights in the world. Wherever 
there is a city of the living, you will find a city of the 
dead. They are twin sisters, and always grow up 
together. But although death is so common, yet man 
has never become accustomed to his staggering blows. 
So far as we can see from the view-point of earth, he 
is in full possession of his primitive powers. He still 
casts shadows over homes — shadows which refuse to 
lift until confronted with the light of the upper world. 
He still leaves wounds in hearts — wounds which none 
but the Great Physician can heal. And no respecter of 
persons is this cruel enemy of ours. He lays cruel 
hands alike on the high and the lowly. He snatches 
the babe from its mother's breast ; he drags the devoted 
mother away from her helpless children — heedless of 
the orphan's cry ; he cleaves asunder two lives that have 
become one. In every home, sooner or later, we see his 
ugly footprints, and feel the blighting chill that he has 
left in his trail. The entrance of death is ever the 
signal for aching hearts and tearful eyes; but when 

19 



his fatal shaft struck our departed sister, multitudes 
of hearts were wounded, and a cloud of grief o'erspread 
not only this community and State, but many other 
states as well. For it was her privilege to be widely 
known; and wherever known, she was loved. Her 
queenly bearing, her sunny spirit, her keen and vigorous 
intellect, her intense interest in people and affairs, con- 
stituted a charming personality whose magnetic force 
drew to her many devoted friends who to-day mingle 
their tears with ours, and share in a common grief. 
She was endowed with magnificent powers. History 
and literature were familiar fields to her. Through 
them she loved to journey, plucking the fragrant flowers 
and luscious fruits. But she did not live in dreamland, 
feeding her aesthetic cravings on mystical theories of 
an ideal life out of all touch with earth. She had the 
spirit of a warrior, and bravely enjtered into life's 
practical battles. ^The co-operative work of women for 
the material, intellectual and moral elevation of the 
sex, felt the quickening touch of her inspiring hand. 
The ship of State did not veer from its straight course 
when she was the guardian angel of him whose hand 
was on the helm. She stood a veritable tower of 
strength under the heavy burdens when the life of her 
distinguished husband was hanging in the balance, and 
nobody dreamed that she would go before him to the 
grave. In that notable company of women gathered 
at the Columbian Exposition, she quickly became a 
conspicuous figure and easily ranked with the first. But 
is this all that can be said of her ? In this solemn hour 
would these things be worth saying if they were all ? 

20 



They are like beautiful flowers placed on the grave — 
they wither and perish in a day. Infinitely more valu- 
able than they was her simple faith in God. These 
things fade as flickering, dying tapers pale before the 
sun in the presence of her hope of glory through Christ, 
which shone with heavenly brilliance in the dark night 
of death. She could easily have been a star of the first 
magnitude in the world's fashionable society; but she 
preferred to let the light of saving truth shine through 
her life that the wanderers in darkness of sin might 
find the way to God and heaven. She loved her church, 
its simple service and old-fashioned songs. She delighted 
to be in her place at the hours appointed for worship. 
Her bright face, which was always an inspiration to 
the preacher, will be seen no more in the congregation 
on earth. How sadly we shall miss her ! She loved 
the missionary work of her denomination. The 
Woman's Missionary Union in her own State and 
throughout the w r hole South felt and acknowledged the 
force of her consecrated powers. For this work which 
she loved, she poured out much of her rapidly failing 
strength, like another Mary breaking her alabaster box 
of ointment over the Savior's head. How she will be 
missed ! We can hardly become accustomed to her 
absence from the conventions on whose sessions she 
has been a faithful attendant for a score of years. 

I almost forbear to speak of how she will be missed 
in the home where she has long been the reigning 
queen. I cannot, I will not, speak of it at length. 
Only God and the bereaved husband know w T hat her 
absence means. He will listen in vain for the footfall 

21 



that told of her approach. He will sometimes dream 
that he hears the voice that so often soothed and cheered 
and inspired; but will awake to find it was but a 
dream. He will look in vain for the face illumined by 
the great soul within. But there is comfort for him and 
for us all. She surrendered her body to death; but 
in that very moment her redeemed soul was freed and 
is now enjoying the presence of the Lord. This she 
gladly did. She told her husband that he had given 
her a good and pleasant home, but she was going to a 
better one. In the dark hour of death, the vision of the 
house not made with hands turned her eyes from one 
of the best homes a woman ever had on earth to the 
brighter mansion beyond the skies. Let the thought 
of her triumphant departure cause our tears to cease; 
or, if not, let us in sweet submission look up through 
them to the fairer world where she has gone to be 
forever with her Lord. 



22 



Extracts from Newspapers. 

The Baptist Advance: 

* * * It is always difficult to write fittingly of the 
passing of our friends, and doubly so when the friend 
was so strong and unique a character and Christian as 
Mrs. Eagle. The entire city and State are shocked 
and saddened ; indeed a wider circle yet, for her circle 
of acquaintance and friendship was national in scope 
and more. * * * 

It would not be easy to characterize her, but even 
to the casual acquaintance the following points would 
be apparent : 

1. Her Strength of Character. She was pre- 
eminently a> strong woman. She was a woman of 
quite general and thorough information and culture; 
and she had strong convictions on every subject she 
touched. And it was never hard to find out what she 
thought; nor was her opinion ever without its weight. 
Few are the women that even approximate her in 
strength of character. Nor must this be taken as indi- 
cating that she was wanting in the gentler womanly 
graces. She was not. To her husband, to her loved 
ones, to her friends who came within her home circle, 
she was surprisingly gentle ; and it was gentleness all 
the more beautiful by reason of the very rugged 
strength of character lying back of it. 

23 



2. Her Patriot ism. Born and roared in Blue 
(Jrass Kentucky, she was like all Kcntuckians, proud 
of th si. I, and loyal to Kentucky. But even in a higher 
degree was she patriotic for her adopted State — 

Arkansas- I he State that has honored her husband so 
repeatedly and generously, and that he in turn has 
always honored. She indignantly resented any 
reflection upon the good and fair name of her State, and 
did mueh in many ways to advance its interests and to 
exalt it in the world's esteem. Just before her death, 
when telling her husband where she would like for this, 
that and the other articles of her personal belongings to 
go, she said, Ck And that portrait of yours in the hall, 
I should like to have given to the State of Arkansas to 
hang for the present in the Secretary of State's office, 
and later when it seems lifting, in the Governor's oil-ice." 
Arkansas will never have a purer or greater devotion 
from any of her daughters than from this adopted 
daughter, whose 1 death we mourn. 

1]. Her Love and faithfulness to Her Husband. 
No one could know her without observing her manifest 
pride in Ihe character and career of her husband and 
her loyally to him. It would not be too much, and cer- 
tainly no disparagement to him, to say that much of his 

excellence of character and much of his usefulness as 

a public citizen and servant of his State was due to 
her, A Her their marriage in L882, he became speaker 
of the house of representatives in 1885, and governor 
of Arkansas from 1888 to 1892. Mrs. Eagle was 
always most actively and earnestly interested in her 
husband's political aspirations, and in some of the 

24 



campaigns, notably that of 1888, her influence was a 
potent factor in this success. They were inseparable 
companions, and in public as well as private life the 
ideals of devotion. 

4. Her Trustful Faith in God and Her Service 
in His Cause. Many women of her worldly posses- 
sions and of her strength of character and commanding 
and attractive personality would have chosen to make 
little if not light of religion ; not so with her. Converted 
in early life, she became and continued a fine type of 
Christian womanhood. As the grief-stricken husband 
was keeping vigil one of the last nights, he picked up 
her Bible and turned through it. He found every 
book from Genesis to Revelation, with the single excep- 
tion of one of the short epistles having only one chapter, 
marked here and there all the way through. In the 
last talk with him she selected "My Faith Looks Up 
to Thee," '1 would Not Live Always," and " How 
Firm a Foundation" as the songs to be used at the 
memorial services, with the provision that "Jesus, 
Lover of My Soul" should be the fourth, if four were 
used. These things indicate the trustful and robust 
character of her faith in God and her devoutness in the 
Christian life. As already said, she took keen interest 
and manifested an unmistakable pride in her husband's 
political career. She rejoiced much in every honor that 
his fellow-citizens put upon him. But far greater was 
her joy at his usefulness in the kingdom of God and in 
the honor that his brethren in Christ Jesus put upon 
him as a leader among them. 

25 



The Arkansas Deinocr: 

* * * " Mrs. Eagle was a broadminded and pro- 
gressive woman, of strong intellect, grace and dignity of 
demeanor, and notwithstanding her superior position in 
the world of women, there was a democracy about her 
that bound all to her. high and low, with hooks of steel. 
a were. * * * 

" She came into national notice in 1893, as a mem- 
ber of the board of lady managers of the World's 
Columbian Exposition and as chairman of the committee 
on congresses, in which capacity she presidei over all 
the congresses held in the Woman's Building at the 
Chicago Exposition. * * * 

"A; die conclusion of the Exposition she was chosen 
to edit the many papers presented at the congresses, 
and the result of her work is seen in two splendid 
volumes of B24 pages, with the following caption: 
" The o Higrese of Women, held in the Woman's Build- 
ing. World's Columbian Exposition. Chicago, United 
States of America, in 1893; in two volumes, with por- 
traits, biographies and addresses, published by authority 
of the Board of Lady Managers. Mrs. Bertha Honore 
Palmer, president : edited by Mary Kavanaugh Oldham 
Eagle, Chairman of the Committee on Congress of the 
rd of Lady Managers. W. B. Conkey. Publisher, 
1894.' The vigor of her style may be seen from the 
following extract from the preface : 

" 'One of the objects of this work has been the 
mirroring of the women of the Columbian year — faith- 
fully reflecting their purposes, plans and powers as they 

26 



stand the chosen representatives of the various States 
of the Union and of the nations of the earth. As we suc- 
ceeded in presenting representatives from thirty states 
and twenty nations, we feel justified in believing that 
this object has been attained. Other purposes were to 
provide for communion and interchange of thought 
between women engaged in the same and diverse lines 
of work, and the compilation of valuable literary and 
historic papers to serve as stepping stones to future 
progress, which has also, to the minds of many, been 
realized.' 

"At the close of the congresses she assisted in unveil- 
ing a magnificent portrait of Mrs. Potter Palmer, and 
her address on that occasion may well be taken as apply- 
ing with equal aptitude to herself. She said in part: 

" * When I compare the board of lady managers 
with the great number of organized bodies with which 
I have been familiar, I am proud of the board ; as 
individuals or as an organized body it does not suffer 
by comparison. When I compare its officers with 
the officers of other bodies, we have the advantage ; but 
when I compare its president with the presidents of 
any and all other organizations, the gold medals are all 
our own, with the chromos added. We covet not titles 
of rank in this land of ours, where every woman may be 
a queen, and when the women of America choose a 
leader and representative she is not only a queen, but 
queenly.' " 



27 



Second Baptist Church News : 

" What we all feared has come. Mrs. James P. 
Eagle has gone from this world. Surrounded by hus- 
band, brothers, sisters and other relatives and friends, 
she breathed her last at 4:30 Sunday morning. 
* * * In her life she earnestly sought to fulfill the 
Creator's purpose in woman — 'an helpmeet for man/ 
Her life was thoroughly identified with that of her 
husband. Whether occupying the executive's chair, 
presiding over the Southern Baptist Convention, or 
preaching to his country churches,, she was ever with 
him to counsel, encourage and inspire. After all, how- 
ever, her most brilliant victory was her triumph over 
death. Her faith in Jesus Christ made her radiant 
as she entered the sombre shades and passed through 
the dark gateway. It is easier to give her up, since 
we have the testimony of her dying words that she was 
going to a better home." 

The Arkansas Gazette : 

" Mrs. Mary Kavanaugh Oldham Eagle, wife of 
ex-Gov. James P. Eagle, died Sunday morning at the 
family residence, 219 East Seventh street, after an 
extended illness. * * * It had been known through- 
out the city for a week that Mrs. Eagle was nearing the 
end of her eventful life, and many were the anxious 
inquiries jmade regarding her condition. Saturday 
morning it was stated that she could hardly survive the 
day, and the end came before the break of the following 
day. All of Saturday the devoted husband sat beside the 
bed of his dying wife and talked with her of her future 

28 



home with her Maker. She was cheerful, and tried 
to make him view her approaching end as she did, that 
she was but going to a better home. Her only regret 
was that she had to leave him behind, but she told him 
that it was best, for he had a great deal of work to do 
yet. She talked with him of the things that would take 
place after her death, and gave explicit directions 
regarding her funeral, all of which were implicitly 
obeyed. Conscious to the very last, she smiled at the 
relatives gathered around her bed, and with the words, 
' Good-bye, dear/ softly uttered, she quietly passed 
away." 

Texas Baptist Standard : 

" Mrs. Mary Eagle was a remarkable woman. She 
possessed a rare combination of grace, intelligence and 
beauty. She was indeed both a handsome and a beau- 
tiful woman in form and face, but her crowning beauty 
was in her noble, self-sacrificing Christian character. 
It is not too much to say that during the last dozen 
years or more she has been the most conspicuous figure 
among the Baptist women of the South, and has led 
in every good word and work. Her wise counsels and 
strong leadership in a large measure gave caste and 
tone to the annual meetings of the Woman's Missionary 
Union, auxiliary to the Southern Baptist Convention." 

Mountaineer, S. C. : 

#..*■■»« ]\j; rs Eagle was a remarkable woman in 
many respects. Few were better informed upon matters 
of state or as to the current of passing events; no one 

29 



was more gracious or kind in social life, nor better 
equipped as a useful member of society ; her knowledge 
was extensive and varied, yet never pedantic; her con- 
versation was bright and sparkling, yet never frivolous ; 
her friendships were sincere and candid, and her loyalty 
to friends was a thing to be admired and cherished by 
them ; her fidelity to the church of her choice was only 
equalled by the readiness with which she served the 
Master, and the intelligent consecration of her gifts 
was the expression of a soul imbued with the desire 
to make the world better for having lived in it. This 
epitome of her virtues comes from an acquaintance and 
friendship of long standing, and there is not a word that 
is idly spoken." 

Western Recorder: 

" We are deeply pained to receive a telegram 
announcing the death Sunday morning of Mrs. James 
P. Eagle, and we tender our sincerest condolence to 
our honored brother in this sore bereavement. Mrs. 
Eagle was one of the brightest, fairest, gentlest and 
noblest daughters of Kentucky. She had been a great 
6ufferer for many months. Governor Eagle brought 
her to Louisville last fall for special treatment and they 
spent some weeks here, but all in vain. The best skill 
could bring no relief. And now, as the telegram stated, 
she has 'f alien asleep in Jesus. ? Her life was beau- 
tiful and her death triumphant. Many thousands of 
hearts are touched and moved by this death." 



30 



The Arkansas Baptist : 

" Sad bereavement has come to the home of Bro. 
James P. Eagle. At 4:30 Sunday morning Sister 
Eagle fell asleep in Jesus. For several months her 
health had steadily declined and the crisis came not 
unexpected. Her Christian zeal and active partici- 
pation in the affairs of her church and in society had 
won her a host of friends who will join in tearful sym- 
pathy for Brother Eagle and the relatives in this hour 
of sadness. She was fully resigned and peacefully 
trusted Him to whom she had committed the care of 
her soul. 



" ' Oh these parting scenes will end, 

Some sweet day, by and by ; 
We shall gather, friend with friend, 

Some sweet day, by and by; 
There before our Father's throne, 
When the mist and clouds have flown, 
We shall know as we are known, 

Some sweet day, by and by.' " 

The Baptist, Abilene, Texas : 

* * * " She was prominent in the councils of the 
women of the Southern Baptist Convention. * * ' * 
She was a very handsome woman, full of the graces 
of culture, and always ready for every good word and 
work." 



31 



Cabot Guard: 

"It is with feelings of deepest sorrow that we 
chronicle the death of this gifted and lovely lady. Her 
beautiful and Christian character, and brilliant intel- 
lectual faculties had endeared her to all who were so 
fortunate as to come within the charmed circle of her 
acquaintance. She was active in every measure for the 
betterment of society, and the advancement of Chris- 
tianity. Her beautiful life was a benediction to her 
family, friends, the church and the State." 

Johnson County Herald : 

" Many beautiful tributes have been published on 
the death of Mrs. James P. Eagle, all of which were 
deserved. The good things said of this noble, Christian 
woman were not all reserved until after death, as her 
whole life work was of such a character as to bring 
forth many words of praise concerning her active work 
at all times. No woman ever lived who was more 
devoted to Christian work, her husband, her home and 
her country. The world is better for her having lived. 
We extend heartfelt sympathy to Governor Eagle, and 
his many friends of Johnson County will learn with 
deep regret of his great loss." 

The Arkansas Methodist : 

" Mrs. Mary Kavanaugh Oldham Eagle, wife of 
ex-Governor James P. Eagle, fell asleep, at the family 
mansion, 219 East Seventh street, Little Rock, on Sun- 
day last, 4 a. m. The funeral was from the home at 10 
a. m. Tuesday, conducted by Rev. T. W. O'Kelley, 

32 



pastor of the Second Baptist Church. In the calm, 
clear cold morning, while the sunlight glistened upon 
the new fallen snow, a multitude of sorrowing friends, 
representing the most influential people of our city, 
gathered to the funeral bearing rich floral tributes. In 
feeling, the whole State was represented in these tokens 
of esteem, for Mrs. Eagle had honored the State. A 
noble type of womanhood she was ; gifted, cultured, and 
crowned with Christian graces. Amid the honors 
bestowed upon her, her virtues found full appreciation 
in the home upon which the shadow has fallen." 

Richmond, Ky., Climax: 

"Mrs. Mary Kavanaugh Eagle, wife of ex-Governor 
James P. Eagle, of Little Rock, Ark., died on last Sun- 
day morning, February 15. Mrs. Eagle was born and 
reared in Madison County, being the eldest daughter of 
William Kavanaugh Oldham. Mrs. Eagle has attained 
more prominence, possibly, than any of Madison's fair 
daughters. She was considered the moving spirit that 
elevated her husband to the Governor's chair in her 
adopted State and finally to the more distinguished 
position of president of the Southern Baptist Conven- 
tion. Mrs. Eagle was one of the lady commissioners of 
the World's Fair at Chicago, and editor of the proceed- 
ings of the Woman's Congress. Here Mrs. Eagle met 
and became intimate with the best informed ladies from 
every State in the Union and from every civilized coun- 
try in the world. The family and friends of Mrs. Eagle 
date her decline in health from the performance of the 
arduous duties as editor of this book. Mrs. Eagle was 

33 



considered by her many admirers as one of the brightest 
and best informed women of our country, and her 
untimely death will be mourned by possibly as many 
people as any one in our land. As wife, high type of 
womanhood and Christian character^ she was unexcelled 
by anyone." * * -. * 

The State Republican : 

" The death of Mrs. Eagle, wife of ex-Governor 
Eagle, removes one of the most brilliant of a coterie of 
brilliant Southern women. Her large experience and 
catholic temperament, her versatility of mind and 
nobility of heart endeared her to a large circle of 
admiring friends. To a most impressive presence she 
added a piquancy of expression and a rare power of 
adaption that marked her as a social success every- 
where. She had a most remarkable gift of extempo- 
raneous speech, clothing her deep and serious thought 
with a wealth of diction, and impressing her hearers 
by a wealth of anecdote and apposite quotation. With 
singular felicity and admirable courage she dared to 
pronounce her judgment and give expression to her 
convictions on issues under debate. It means much 
for religion when a woman of marked learning and 
executive capacity finds time from the stress of social 
and family and political interests to devote her gifts 
to the missionary causes of the church she loves. Her 
devotion along the line of missions meant much when 
the missionary enterprises of her church were the real 
and absorbing issues of her generation. It is safe to 
say that much that the Baptist Church in Arkansas is 

34 



today is owing to her resourceful energy and tactful 
management. Her gracious hospitality was proverbial, 
and it was extended to her friends with a charm of 
manner and a genuineness of expression that made her 
guests at once feel a royal welcome. Mrs. Eagle will 
be sadly missed not only by her intimate friends, but by 
a host of others who learned to appreciate her noble 
qualities of heart and mind." 

Ford's Christian Repository: 

" On Sunday morning, the 15th, while the heavy 
snow w r as falling and all was drear, the following dis- 
patch was brought out some ten miles from the city : 

" ' Little Rock, Ark., February 15, 1903. 
"'Dr. S. H. Ford, St. Louis, Mo: 

" i Mamie fell asleep in Jesus this morning at four 
thirty ; services Tuesday morning at ten. 

" i James P. Eagle.' 

" Tearfully it was read, as lovely a spirit as ever 
dwelt in a form of beauty — full of faith, love and gentle, 
active benevolence, one who loved to call herself 'your 
affectionate daughter' — one who trusted without com- 
plaint through long months of suffering, — one of whom 
it could be truly said, 'strength and honor are her 
clothing. She opened her mouth with wisdom ; and in 
her tongue is the law of kindness/ — had passed from 
the dim twilight to the cloudless light of an eternal day. 

" We attended her funeral; and a light as from the 
opening cloud of sadness shed a beauty over the solemn 



scene." 



35 



The Soliphone: 

* ;* « : « j^ rs# Eagle was known throughout the 
country as a woman of exceptional talent, with a most 
kind and loving disposition." * * * 

The Weekly Visitor: 

#*-«--« ^r e no longer i 00 k into her face or hear 
her voice, but she still lives in the hearts of our people, 
and she will still exert an influence and power in this 
great State and among Baptists that will be felt for 
years to come. * * * We thank God for her life." 

* -Jf -5f 

Lonoke Democrat: 

* * * " ]\£ rs# Eagle was a noble woman, admired 
for her Christian virtues and brilliant intellect and 
her death is deeply deplored by all." 

Fort Smith Elevator: 

" The death of Mrs. Eagle takes from our State 
a good woman whose ambition, State pride, brilliant 
attainments and active usefulness left an impression 
upon her adopted people which cannot be easily effaced. 
Her wifely devotion and womanly qualities of mind 
and heart made her a rare helpmeet. Governor Eagle 
has the sympathy of the people in his sorrow." 

Osceola Times : 

" In the death of Mrs. James P. Eagle, which 
occurred at Little Rock Sunday, Arkansas has lost one 
of her most cultured and gifted women. No one who 
attended the World's Fair,, at Chicago, but remembers 

36 



with feelings of grateful pride the splendid manner in 
which she represented the State as its lady manager, 
and made the Arkansas building the center of Southern 
elegance and refined hospitality, provoking kindly 
criticism and comment from all sections of the United 
States." 

Lee County Courier: 

* * * a }£ rs Eagle was a woman of national repu- 
tation, of strong character, with a mind capacitated to 
counsel with her husband on questions of State, and 
ever a lovable Christian companion. * * * Thus 
ends a life of one of the purest, grandest, noblest women 
of Arkansas. The entire State extends to the bereaved 
loved ones great sympathy." 

Woodruff County Vidette: 

* * * " In the death of this good lady the State of 
Arkansas has lost one of its most intelligent and highly 
cultured women, one whom it has for quite awhile been 
very proud of. We deeply sympathize with Governor 
Eagle in his distress." 

Monroe County Citizen: 

* * * a Her life was devoted to the cause of Chris- 
tianity and her work in the upbuilding of the Baptist 
Church is felt throughout Arkansas." * * * 

Hope Gazette: 

" There are many sad hearts in Arkansas this week 
because of the death of Mrs. James P. Eagle. * * * 
Mrs. Eagle was one of the State's brightest women, 

37 



known and loved all over the country. She had been in 
poor health for a year or more and while every effort 
was made to restore her to health, they all failed and she 
has been called to her reward for a useful and well 
spent life. She was an earnest, zealous worker in the 
cause of the Master she served and was a recognized 
leader in the woman's work of the Baptist Church, of 
which she was a member. All who recognize how 
much a good woman is to the world will mourn the 
death of this one, and their sympathy will go out to the 
bereaved husband who is thus bereft of God's greatest 
blessing to man." 

Arkadelphia Standard : 

* * * " In the death of Mrs. Eagle Arkansas has 

lost one of her most noble, true and best ladies." 



Cleveland County Herald: 

" By the death of Mrs. James P. Eagle Arkansas 
loses a staunch, progressive and intelligent champion 
and one who was loved for her intrinsic worth of char- 
acter in every circle of society." * * * 

Malvern Times- Journal : 

* # * " The whole South mourns the death of this 
great woman. She has for many years been promi- 
nent in religious work. * * * She has been 
honored in many important public affairs and her noble 
Christian influence has wrought valuable good through- 
out the State. Her death was one great triumph, 

38 



trusting, as it were, in the precious promises of Him 
who had directed her in all the good deeds of life. Her 
noble husband has the sympathy of the whole country 
in his great loss. ' Her works do follow her.' " 

Globe Democrat : 

* * * a j^ rg j]agle was one of the most intellec- 
tual and cultured women in this section of the country. 
She was lady manager for Arkansas at the Chicago 
World's Fair, and contributed largely to the success of 
the woman's department of the exposition. Her life 
was devoted to the cause of Christianity, and her work 
in the upbuilding of the Baptist Church is felt through- 
out Arkansas." * * * 

John L. Johnson, in The Baptist, Jackson, Miss., 
February 22, 1903. 

" The Baptist women of the South have sustained 
a great loss in the death of Mrs. Mary Kavanaugh 
Eagle. This sad event occurred at her home in Little 
Bock, Ark., February 15, 1903. She was a Kentuckian 
by birth, the daughter of W. K. Oldham, Esq., of Rich- 
mond, Ky. In 1882 she was married to Bev. James P, 
Eagle, of Arkansas, who afterwards became governor 
of that State, and is at present the honored president of 
the Arkansas Baptist Convention and also of the 
Southern Baptist Convention. From the date of her 
removal to Arkansas her life was inwrought into the 
history of that State. Beautiful of person, strong intel- 
lectually, highly cultivated, with heart subdued to the 
will of Christ, and in sympathy with whatever is best 

39 



for men, she devoted all, beauty, intellectuality, culture, 
to the cause of Christianity. In all her husband's 
responsibilities in high places she was his active, sym- 
pathetic, courageous friend and helpmeet. She was 
president of the Woman's Central Committee of her 
own State, and was prominent in the meetings and work 
of the Woman's Missionary Union of the Southern 
Baptist Convention. Such a life cannot be in vain. 
The memory of it will surely be sweet and comforting 
to her beloved and honored husband, and we who knew 
her shall be strengthened and encouraged by its single- 
ness of purpose, its consecration to Christ," 



40 



Governor Jefferson Davis' Proclamation: 

Executive Chamber, 
Little Eock, February 17, 1903. 
Death having claimed one of the purest, noblest 
and grandest women of Arkansas, Mrs. James P. Eagle, 
wife of our former chief executive, it is with deep regret 
and sad hearts that we bow to this affliction; and in 
honor of her memory, I, Jefferson Davis, chief executive 
of the State of Arkansas^ do hereby order and direct 
that all business be suspended at the State capitol until 
high noon of the 17th inst., in honor and commemora- 
tion of the obsequies of this noble woman. 

Given under my hand and official seal, this 17th 
day of February, 1903. 

Jefferson Davis, 
Governor of Arkansas. 



41 



From Our Friends. 

Extracts from Letters and Telegrams, Containing 
References to My Dear Departed Wife. 

While I recognize that she who was my light and 
joy can receive no benefit from any acknowledgment of 
her worth, neither can words adequately tell all that 
she was tome, and the source of strength and inspiration 
that she was to others, I deem it but just to her 
memory that I give to the public in some measure the 
estimate placed upon her by those who knew her best, 
with the hope that, though dead she may yet speak, 
and from the example that she has left there maj 
be those who shall gain strength to achieve yet greater 
victories. 

To the many friends who, in person, gave expres- 
sion to their profound sympathy with me in the great 
loss sustained, I desire to return my heartfelt thanks, 
and while I cannot give to the public the tender words 
that conveyed their sorrow and their condolence, yet 
these shall be graven on the tablet of my memory, and 
I shall ever be grateful to the dear friends of Little 
Rock and elsewhere for their endeavor to assuage the 
grief that was bearing so heavily upon me. 

Montgomery, Ala., February 18, 1903. 

* * * It has been one of the pleasant features of 
the Southern Baptist Convention that we have been 

43 



permitted to see her there every year. Beautiful in 
person and in character; born to command, yet gentle 
and gracious; firm and fearless in the expression of 
her convictions, yet courteous and tactful in dealing 
with those who were of contrary mind ; gracing society 
by her charms, yet the tender and faithful wife, who, 
above all men, honored her husband. 

O. F. Gregory. 

Warren, Ark., February 18, 1903. 
*'*■'*' I feel that we can truly say of her, she rests 
from her labors and her works do follow her. Tour 
heart and life will be sad and lonely without her 
companionship, but you will have the consolation of 
knowing that she was faithful and true in every 
relation in life's work. * * * 

~N. C. Denson. 

Mammoth Spring, Ark., February 17, 1903. 
* * * It is useless for us to tell you how our dear 
sister will be missed. " None knew her but to love 
her." * * * 

C. T. and Mrs. D. B. Arnett. 



# ■* # 



Pine Bluff, Ark., February 19, 1903. 
With deep sorrow did we learn of the death 
of your dear wife, and noting the perfect faith she 
exhibited in her last moments, we are in no doubt as to 
where she is to-day. What a great consolation this is 
to you can be realized only by yourself. * * * You 
can but feel that the separation is but for a few years 
at most. * * * 

Mr. and Mrs. T. Boberts. 

44 



Morristown, Term., February 18, 1903. 
* * . * In her death I have lost the best friend I 
ever had. The world has been made poorer and heaven 
richer and more beautiful. * * * 

M. D. Early. 

Louisville, Ky., February 16, 1903. 
You and your loved companion were so 
inseparable, her departure has made the world so lone- 
some, but her arrival on high has made it more 
homelike. * * * 

T. D. Osborne. 

Eufaula, I. T., February 18, 1903. 
There are none of your friends who feel more 
grieved, or who sympathize more sincerely with you 
over the loss of your dear, good wife, than I. * * * 

Mrs. S. Grayson. 

Helena, Ark., February 19, 1903. 

In behalf of myself and my daughter Mary, I 
desire to express to you our sympathy for you in the 
great loss you have sustained in the death of your lovely 
and beloved wife. 

Her sweet and affectionate attention to Mary on 
many occasions has left with us a pleasing memory that 
will last as long as life. She has gone, but she will 
always be remembered by our household as a gentle and 
kind friend whose influence upon it was as the mellow- 
ing rays of sunshine. 

J. C. Tappan. 

45 



Nashville, Tenn., February 18, 1903. 

* * * It is an awful blow to come upon a man to 
lose such a wife as you had ; always strong and helpful. 

* * * J. M. Frost. 

Meridian, Miss., February 17, 1903. 
■* * # This i s to us sad news. Since we had 
learned to look upon Sister Eagle as one of the noblest 
of noble women of the South, we feel that her place in 
our Baptist Zion will be very hard to fill. * * * 

J. E. Farish. 

Tennille, Ga., February 17, 1903. 

* * * How lonely and dark is your heart and 
home. She was so cheerful, lovely and bright. I 
remember with so much pleasure her kindness to me. 

* * * E. J. Willingham. 

Sterling, Kan., February 17, 1903. 

* * * I was so grieved to read the message yester- 
day that Mamie was gone. * * * 

Mrs. T. B. Trueheart. 

Ennis, Tex., February 18, 1903. 

* * * As you know, I met her but once. It was a 
short stay in your home in company with our now sainted 
Dr. Hunter. During the few moments spent there 
I received an impression that has followed me till now, 
and will to my grave. Her grace, beauty, and hospit- 
able bearing that day convinced me of the treasure of 
your heart. * * * T. J. Duncan. 

46 



Clinton, Miss., February 17, 1903. 

* * * Since my visit to Fayetteville years ago I 
have not ceased to love both yourself and the gracious 
woman whom God gave you to bless your life with her 
devotion and sweet ministry. * * * 

J. L. Johnson. 

Kichmond, Ky., February 17, 1903. 
It is with sadness I learn of the death of your wife 
and my friend. * * . * 

G. S. Ellis. 

Nashville, Tenn., February 18, 1903. 

* * * rpkg i ast wor( j s Sister Eagle spoke to me 
were, " We are hoping to have you back in Arkansas." 

* * * Thousands of hearts in my State will be 
grieved. * * * 

W. C. Golden. 

Devall's Bluff, Ark., February 17, 1903. 
* , *- * Your wife was a charming, brilliant woman, 
who had few equals. It was always a great pleasure 
to me to meet her. Her kind and cordial manner, one 
could not forget. To have been the husband of such a 
woman is an honor that comes to but few men. * * * 

J. M. McClintock. 

Morrilton, Ark., February 17, 1903. 

* . * * We who loved and honored her, and looked 
up to her for advice and guidance in the woman's work, 
feel that we have sustained an irreparable loss. * * * 

47 



In all this glorious Southland I know of no woman so 
magnificent in every particular, and yet so Christ-like 
and consecrated in her Master's work. * * * 

Mrs. K B. Barnett. 

Ozark, Ark., February 18, 1903. 

* * * Wife an d I are deeply grieved on account 
of the death of Mrs. Eagle. * * * 

J. H. Evans. 

Dardanelle, Ark., February 18, 1903. 

* ■* * j^j[y wife asked me to write you at once. We 
were both much grieved, as we both knew Mrs. Eagle 
and both admired and loved her. If anything could 
moderate your sorrow, it seems to me her beautiful 
faith and her eloquent words as she went away would 
have potent influence in that way. * * * When 
I last saw her she was the embodiment of all that is 
attractive in womanhood. * * Hers was a 
beautiful life and triumphant death. * * * 

W. L. Moose. 

Fordyce, Ark., February 17, 1903. 

* * * In common with the Baptists of the State, 
this news comes to us as a personal grief. How we 

shall miss her queenly appearance at our conventions. 

* * * 

G. C. and Mrs. E. F. Taylor. 

Atlanta, Ga., February 17, 1903. 

* * * How little did I dream last May when I 
shared with her her pleasure in having you honored by 

48 



your brethren that she would so soon pass into that other 
and greater assembly of the redeemed. * * * 

T. P. Bell. 

Atlanta, Ga., February 17, 1903. 

* * * Our denomination will miss Mrs. Eagle as 
few women would be missed. She was so interested 
and so intelligently sympathetic in the wide extent of 
the kingdom, when we look at the work and the workers 
we deeply feel her loss. * * * 

T. C. McConnell. 

Paris, Ark., February 19, 1903. 

* * * My friendship has been so long and so sincere 
for both of you that I can scarcely express my grief. 

* * * B. B. Chism. 

Newton 111., February 17, 1903. 

* * * You have my deepest sympathy in your irre- 
parable loss in the death of Cousin Mamie. * * * 

J. B. Gillespie. 

Weatherford, Tex., February 17, 1903. 

* * * We have just read in the papers notice of 
the death of Sister Eagle. We tender warmest sym- 
pathy. * * * 

J. M. and Mrs. M. M. Hart. 

Camden, Ark., February 17, 1903. 
I have just heard of the loss of Mrs. Eagle, which 
is very sad news to us all. All knew her only to love 
and admire her. * * * 

J. A. Reeves. 

49 



Magnolia, Ark., February 16, 1903. 

* * * Language is inadequate to express the shock, 
grief and sorrow I feel this morning as I read of the 
death of your good wife. * * * 

J. E. Harris. 

Magnolia, Ark., February 17, 1903. 

* # * Today the sacred casket that so long held 
one of the brightest jewels of earth will be borne from 
that home she made, adorned and blest. * * * 

W. J, David. 

Eyrie Ave., Hyde Park, Cincinnati, O., 
February 16, 1903. 

* « « 3^ wor i(j i s better for Mrs. Eagle's having 
lived in it. It is not necessary for anyone to extol her 
strong Christian character. That was known to all who 
ever had the pleasure of her acquaintance. Her speech 
and every action gave evidence of the Christian virtues 
she possessed. She was indeed a child of God. 

* * * My family and myself feel that we have lost 
our devoted friend and our hearts are heavy and sad. 
We loved her and prized her friendship. * * * 

C. Weber. 

Louisville, Ky., February 17, 1903. 

* * * Her death comes to me as a personal bereave- 
ment, for in my slight and intermittent acquaintance I 
have recognized in her one of the noblest and most gifted 
Christian women whom it has been my privilege to 
know. Her loss will be felt by the denomination of 
which she was such a useful member. * * * 

W. J. McGlothlin. 

50 



Lake Village, Ark., February 17, 1903. 

* * * Your wife was not only a very superior 
woman in all that goes to make excellence, but she was a 
devout Christian. * * * She lived to work. 

* * * She will be greatly missed by a great many 
people. * * * I am sure that many hearts all over 
the State will bleed with yours. 

J. G. B. Simms. 

Austin, Tex., February 17, 1903. 

* * * I distinctly recall the first time I ever met 
Mrs. Eagle. It was at the Convention in Augusta, 
Ga., in 1885, and from that time onward I was ever 
attracted by her charming personality, her kindness, 
her cordiality, her winningness. Indeed she seemed to 
me a most exceptional woman, in intelligence, in cul- 
ture, in progressiveness, in Christian usefulness, and 
it may be truly said of her that she was a one in a 
thousand." She will be greatly missed, not only in 
social and religious circles in her own city and State, 
but in the noble work of our Southern Baptist women. 

* * * J. A. French. 

Nashville, Ark., February 18, 1903. 

I assure you that you do not mourn for your dear, 
devoted wife, alone, for I am truly bereaved myself. I 
loved her as a true Christian friend and sister. I do 
not recall anything I ever did to deserve it, but she 
showed special confidence in me and kindness to me 
and my children. I loved her for her work's sake. 

* * * I thought of her as I have seen her in health 

5 1 



worshipping God. I tried to think of her last night 
as standing around the great white throne with the blood 
washed throng, not dead, but having had an abundant 
entrance into eternal rest. She has crossed over just a 
little in advance of you. Separated in body for awhile, 
but still joined together in the spirit. * * * 

C. W. Strickland. 

Dallas, Tex., February 17, 1903. 

* * * The sad news of the death of your beloved 
wife has just reached me, and my heart goes out in deep 
sympathy. Your felt loss is more than every earthly 
blessing left to comfort and encourage. * 

JR. C. Buckner. 

Wabbaseka, Ark., February, 1903. 

* * * To know that she remembered me so lovingly 
in her dying hour fills my heart to overflowing with 
deepest love and gratitude. * * * Though we all 
miss her so grievously, we have the beautiful memory 
and consolation of that last wonderful talk when the 
spirit triumphed over the flesh. * * * 

Miss Willie H. Hooker. 

Pine Bluff, February 18, 1903. 

* * # The beautiful picture she gave me of herself 
is such a pleasure to me now. * * * She looked 
so well and happy when I last saw her that the pleasant 
memory will linger with me. * * * 

Mrs. E. M. Ledbetter. 

52 



Camden, Ark., February 18, 1903. 

* * * Permit me to grieve with you for the loss of 
her whose goodness permitted me to feel that she was 
my friend. * * * 

A. S. Morgan. 

Arkadelphia, Ark., February 18, 1903. 

* * * A great and good woman has fallen. She 
was a true wife and a consecrated Christian. * * * 

W. W. Gardner. 

Magazine, Ark., February 17, 1903. 

* * * Much to my surprise and regret I see the 
death notice of Mrs. Eagle, your beloved wife. I loved 
and respected her. * * * 

E. L. Young. 

Little Kock, Ark., February 17, 1903. 

* * * I feel that nowhere and at no time did there 
ever live a more lovely woman than your wife. Her 
beautiful face was always a reflection of the beautiful 
soul within. Somehow I always felt there was a kindly 
thought for me, and I feel that I too have lost a friend. 
May God let the memory of the years you have walked 
with her serve as a benediction and balm to your 
wounded soul. May the thought of her sainted face 
beyond the gates of pearl be a beacon to guide you to 
the Master. * * * G. P. Lee. 

Little Bock, Ark., February 17, 1903. 

* * * We have all loved and admired your wife. 

* * * Mrs. M. E. Passmore. 

53 



Pine Bluff, Ark., February 16, 1903. 
Accept my heartfelt sympathy in your great 
bereavement in the great loss you have sustained in the 
death of your noble wife. 

E. H. M. Mills. 

Walnut Eidge, Ark., February 17, 1903. 

* * * Since I first met her I have taken pride in 
the fact that Mrs. Eagle counted me among her friends. 
To have known her was a privilege. To have had her 
esteem and friendship was a distinction. To have been 
her husband was a benediction. * * * 

C. Coffin. 

Louisville, Ky., February 16, 1903. 

* * * She was so bright, so queenly, so lovely. It 
is hard to think that she has gone ; but thank God, your 
loss, our loss, is her gain. * * * 

W. P. Harvey. 

Fort Smith, Ark., February 16, 1903. 

* * * Sister Eagle, my dear brother, is not dead. 
She has only passed through the valley and shadow of 
death. * * * . m. S. Buckley. 

Little Eock, Ark., February 17, 1903. 
* * A noble saint has gone to rest. * * * 

J. H. Eeynolds. 



fe^ 



4fr -X- 



McKinney, Tex., February 18, 1903. 
It is written, " A good wife is of the Lord." 
The Lord gave you one of the brightest and best of 

54 



women to be your wife. For many years she shared 
your joys and sorrows. * * * She has made heaven 
dearer. It must be nearer you than ever. * * * 

E. E. King. 

Winona, Miss., February 19, 1903. 

* * * I feel personally bereaved in the death of 
Sister Eagle and I realize that the cause of the blessed 
Master has sustained a very great loss. She was such 
a true, noble, energetic and devout Christian, and such 
an efficient worker, that all who knew her loved her. 
She always had a word of good cheer and wise counsel 
for us all. * * * 

H. C. Eosamond. 

Monett, Mo., February 19, 1903. 
»- * - * You must know that all Arkansas mourns 
the loss of a noble, generous and capable spirit, and I 
feel a keen personal loss to our work and workers. O 
how sweet to trust in Jesus when such trials come ! How 
sweet, too, to know she has but passed into the presence 
of the Savior she loved and served so well. 

L. E. Finney. 

Little Eock, Ark., February 20, 1903. 

* * * This loss, while keenly felt by yourself, is 
so widespread as to be almost a calamity to the whole 
State, and even beyond its confines. No one has lived 
with whom I have been acquainted in my latter years 
whose life has left such an impression on me. * * * 

A. L. Smith. 

55 



Bichmond, Va., February 17, 1903. 

* * * I cannot think it possible that your queenly 
and beautiful wife has passed from the earth. To me 
she was always the impersonation of life and strength. 

* * * I always counted it one of the distinct 
pleasures of attending the Southern Baptist Convention 
that I should meet her and enjoy her charming com- 
panionship. * * * When in Asheville last spring 
I made the address in favor of your election as pres- 
ident of the Convention, I thought more of her than 
of you. I knew how happy she would be in your 
honors. * * * W. E. Hatcher. 

Harrodsburg, Ky., February 16, 1903. 

* * * I have just read of the sad news of the death 
of your noble wife whom I have known and loved since 
her early girlhood. * * * It is with more than 
ordinary sadness that I learn of her departure. * * * 

E. E. Dobbs. 

Greenville, Tex., February 18, 1903. 

* * * We know better than a great many people 
know, that your loss is very great. She was beautiful, 
talented, noble, an ornament to earth. She enriches 
heaven. Truly she wrought well. * * * 

B. K and Mrs. A. K. Womack. 

Eichmond, Ky., February 18, 1903. 

* * * Your loss is very heavy, but remember it is 
Mamie's gain — leaving this world of sorrow and going 
to her Savior and being forever at rest. * * * 

W. H. Miller. 

56 



Rogers, Ark., February 18, 1903. 
It is with a deep feeling of sadness that I try to 
write to you to-night. Only to-day did I learn of your 

great bereavement. * * * 

S. L. Holloway. 

Exeter, N. H., March 3, 1903. 

* * * To know her was to love and admire her as 
one of the best and noblest of women. * * * 

Miss A. Robinson. 

Biloxi, Miss., February 21, 1903. 

* * * . You have been preciously blessed to have 
had the companionship of such a woman for more than 
a score of years. The sweet odor of her pure Christian 
life did not stop with her husband and her home, but 
it went throughout our denomination, and in fact every- 
where she was known. Her mission was a glorious one, 
and now that she rests from her labors her works will 
follow her. * * * 

J. B. Searcy. 

Memphis, Tenn., February 21, 1903. 

* * * I am filled with the deepest gloom and sad- 
ness at the thought that I shall meet her no more, for 
I did love and admire her as I did very few in this 
world. * * * T. S. Potts. 

Savannah, Ga., February 21, 1903. 

* * * She has gone to heaven, noble soul ! Her 
zeal for God and all that is good was great. * * * 

57 



We know something of what a pride and joy she was to 

J. D. Jordan. 



you. *'*.;* 



Evening Shade, Ark, February 21, 1903. 

* * * ■ I beg leave to tender you my most sincere 
sympathy in your great loss. * * * 

S. H. Davidson. 

Columbia, Mo., March 3, 1903. 

* * * Mrs. Eagle had many traits of real greatness. 
I admired her courage, kindness and queenliness. Her 
sympathy we cannot forget. * * * 

M. L. Thomas. 

Fort Smith, Ark., February 16, 1903. 

* * * She was good and pure and noble and Christ- 
like in her every relation in life. I know she was ready 
when the time came. * * ■ * 

H. B. Armistead. 

Jonesboro, Ark., February 16, 1903. 

* * * She will be missed by every loyal Baptist in 
the State. I never met a grander Christian character 
than Sister Eagle. I fully expect to meet her in that 
home which our Lord has gone to prepare for us. 

* * * P. C. Barton. 

England, Ark., February 15, 1903. 
No purer, happier and affectionate home will ever 
stand a twenty-one years' test than yours and Aunt 
Mamie's. * * * K. E. L. Eagle. 

58 



Fort Smith, Ark., February 16, 1903. 

* * * The visit of Mrs. Eagle to us some months 
ago is an oasis in our married life. I had known her, 
of course, for years, but a week's visit in our family 
discloses new phases of one's character, and in her case 
enhanced our admiration for her. Her visit was one 
of recreation and pleasure, but she spent a good deal of 
her time in seeing her church friends and her consider- 
ation for others never forsook her for a moment. I am 
glad that I had the opportunity to know her so well. 

* * * J. H. Kogers. 

Texarkana, Ark., March 3, 1903. 

* * * Yours is a loss in which we all share. * * * 
My first acquaintance with Mrs. Eagle was at Augusta 
in 1885. * * * Since then we had the pleasure to 
reckon her always among our most honored friends. 

* * * O. L. Hailey. 

Stephenson, S. C, March 2, 1903. 

* * * I was very much impressed with her. I 
judged her to be a woman of strong character and 
lovable disposition. * * * 

Mips Jennie Eagle. 

Kansas City, Mo., February 23, 1903. 

* * * I cannot associate her with death. Surely, 
for her sweet spirit the grave has no sting, and a more 
triumphant passage from earth no one ever heard of. 

* * * Mrs. Jennie Brackett. 

59 



# * 



Louisiana, Mo., February 23, 1903. 
Amid our tears we can look up to God and 
thank Him for the great work which one of the grandest 
and noblest women of the South has done toward the 
advancement of His cause and for her wonderful 
triumph over death. * * * 

Mrs. Bessie M. Tate. 



*• * 



•* •* 



Griffithville, Ark., March 3, 1903. 

* It was with sad hearts we read of her death. 

* J. M. Varner. 

Montgomery, Ala., February 28, 1903. 

* * * God only can comfort in a time like this. 

W. B. Crumpton. 

Arcada, Fla., February 23, 1903. 

* * * I know your heart is lonely. Your wife was 
such an active and capable Christian companion and 
worker that we all feel bereft in her departure. But 
none of us can miss her as you do. May the God of all 
grace comfort you. * * * 

I. W. Hall. 

Paris, Ark., February 23, 1903. 

* * * It was never my pleasure to meet Sister 

Eagle, but long before I came to Arkansas I learned 

from my father that Sister Eagle was a noble, Christian 

woman, gifted with such qualities of mind and heart 

as would have made her a significant figure in any 

position. Eternity alone can unfold the glorious results 

that attend such a life. * * * 

J. B. Cason. 

60 



Kichmond, Va., February 24, 1903. 

I still hoped that her usual strength would prevail 
and tide her over for many years. 

H. H. Street. 

Learned, Miss., February 24, 1903. 

* . * * . I feel a keen sense of personal bereavement 
in the death of Sister Eagle. * * * I admired her 
as a great woman, and loved her as an humble, devout 
Christian and personal friend. * * * She was one 
of a few of high station whom I had met, who had the 
Christ-like humbleness of heart and Christian charity 
of soul to speak kindly and encouragingly to and treat 
consideratelv one of humble rank. * * * Her 
action toward me has often been a source of good cheer 
to my spirit and encouragement to my heart. * * * 
I thank God that I knew her. * * * 

P. A. Hamon. 

Baltimore, Md., February 23, 1903. 

* * * Surely no one who ever knew Mrs. Eagle 
could fail to sympathize with you most deeply in your 
loss. * * * 

Junius M. Millard. 

Eussellville, Ky., February 24, 1903. 

» 

* * * She w T as so kind and pleasant in every way 
that it was a joy to be with her. * * * She is in 
her Father's home and all is well. * * * 

J. S. Cheek. 

61 



1416 Sigler Street., Nashville, Tenn., 

February 24, 1903. 

* * * Such a kindly line of interest as I had from 
Mrs. Eagle last week causes the news of her departure 
to come as a shock. * * * 

Mrs. A. J. Wheeler. 

Tuskegee, Ala,, February 21, 1903. 

* * * I do not see how you can live without her. 
She was everything that a wife ought to be, and 
especially one of the most gracious and queenly and 
charming of women. * * * 

S. M. Province. 

San Marcos, Tex., February 25, 1903. 

* * * I have never ceased to be grateful to Mrs. 
Eagle for a few words of advice spoken to me at the 
meeting of the Association at Beebe, which under God 
wrought a reformation in my life and habits. 

M. E. Hudson. 

Huntington, W. Va., February 23, 1903. 

* * * The last time I was in Little Eock I went 
home with you for dinner from the Board meeting. I 
shall never forget how much dear Sister Eagle added to 
the pleasures of that hour. She was a special favorite 
of Mrs. Roddy — in fact everybody loved her. In her 
death the entire denomination has sustained a great 
loss. But she is now in her better home, and through its 
golden portals will anxiously watch for your coming. 

* * * J.M.Roddy. 

62 



Atlanta, Ga., February 23, 1903. 
With hundreds, nay, thousands of your brethren in 
the Southland, I mingle my tears with yours in the 
sorrow of your great loss. * * ■ * 

J. E. White. 

Conway, Ark., March 1, 1903. 

* * * You have my condolence, sympathy, love and 
prayers in this the greatest trial of your life. * * * 

J. M. Denison. 

Harrison, Ark., February 27, 1903. 

* * * She was a queen among women and the State 
feels the loss of one who has always reflected such credit 
on it. I met her a few times in Fayetteville and in 
Chicago, and she has been my ideal of perfect woman- 
hood. Winter Crump Garvin. 

New Hope, Va., February 26, 1903. 

* * * I can't tell you how distressed I am. How 
it breaks my heart to feel that I will never see her 
again. * * * 

Miss Angeline Gentry. 

Mt. Vernon, Ark., February 20, 1903. 

* * * Oh, that the women of the South would 
follow her example and precepts in serving and honoring 
the God whom she served and loved. * * * 

J. B. Trayler. 



63 



East Lake, Ala., February 27, 1903. 

* * * It -was my privilege to meet her at Hot 
Springs, and to admire as much for the charm of soul 
as for her grace of manner and beauty of person. 

* * * A. P. Montague. 

Erie, Pa., February 28, 1903. 

* *. # Mrs. Eagle was a most remarkable woman, 
bright, gifted and withal a lover of the Master's cause. 

* * * G. S. Daugherty. 

Sweet Water, Tex., February 26, 1903. 

I have been deeply touched by the sadness of the 
death of your gifted wife. * * * Mrs. Eagle will 
be greatly missed in our annual gatherings. * * * 

E. T. Hanks. 

Willows, Cal., February 22, 1903. 

* * * We had anticipated a visit from you and dear 
Aunt Mamie. How sweet the name ! * * * 

Mr. and Mrs. Milton French. 

Anderson, Cal., February 23, 1903. 

* * * So beautiful and strong in life. She has left 
a benediction wherever she has gone. * * * 

A. M. Russell. 

1902 Euclide Ave., Cleveland, Ohio, 
February 24, 1903. 

* * * ■ I cannot believe that it is really true ! That 
noble, magnificent specimen of womanhood cold in 
death ! * * * My irreparable misfortune that I 

64 



did not write and send some loving message to one of 
the best friends I ever had. * * * 

Jean Longhboro Douglass. 

Little Kock, Ark., February 16, 1903. 

A common grief prompts me to express in the 
poverty of words my appreciation of the living friend- 
ship and my heartfelt grief in the loss of your estimable 
wife. 

The embodiment of earthly divinity is true 
womanhood. She ennobles and inspires all to better 
deeds within her radiant sphere. As, when the fragrant 
and flowering vine has died and the sturdy oak is bare 
and alone, so is the home whence she has gone. The 
grief of the forest is not expressed nor can that of the 
fireside be put in words. 

She was my constant friend, and her good influence 
still lives to encourage and to help me. 

To you, her loving husband and her constant pride, 
I extend my sincere sympathy. 

Wm. S. Mitchell. 

Bowling Green, Ky., February 19, 1903. 
I was reading the sweet little note that Mrs. Eagle 
wrote me on her departure from Louisville, and 
thinking of her many sweet qualities, and kindness to 
me, when I learned of her sad death. * * * 

Mrs. Blanch M. Mallory. 
New Orleans, La., March 4, 1903. 
* * ** She was one of the Lord's chosen. * * * 

J. A. Lee. 

65 



Clinton, Ky., March 7, 1903. 

* . * * We are sure that £} ie recollection of the great 
good accomplished by Mrs. Eagle for the Master will 
always be a source of great joy to you. We rejoice 
with you that she was able to accomplish so much in 
her day and generation. * * * 

J. C. C. Dunford. 

Mars Hill, N. C., March 5, 1903. 

* * * I have suffered a personal loss. During 
my college course no woman beside my mother did so 
much to inspire me and make it possible for me to meet 
and overcome the difficulties in my way. Always to 
me she has been an inspiring personality, true, noble, 
queenly — whom to know was a privilege, and to have 
as a friend, a benediction. * * * Helping, bright- 
ening, blessing wherever she went, and such her life 
will ever be to all who knew her. * * * 

W. H. Woodall. 

Tuscumbia, Ala., March 6, 1903. 
Her death has left a sad ache in my own heart. 

* * * Mrs. S. L. M. Mayfield. 

New Hope, Va., March 6, 1903. 

* * * You have the sweet consolation that your 
dear wife was faithful to her Christian vows and that 
her life was one of usefulness. * * * The world 
was better by her having lived in it. * 

H. G. Barnhart. 
ee 



Reedsville, N. C, March 6, 1903. 

* * * Mrs. Eagle was an especial favorite with 
Mr. Jones and it gave him great pleasure to meet her 
year after year at the Conventions. * * He 
counted dear Mrs. Eagle among his choicest friends 
and the little girls and I remember her so pleasantly. 

* * * Mrs. Jones. 

Denison, Tex., March 11, 1903. 

* * * I could not restrain the tears. I myself feel 
that I have lost a good, pure, true friend. * * * 
Words cannot express my esteem for Sister Eagle as a 
Christian character, and my appreciation of her as a 
true, appreciative friend. * * * 

A. J. Kincade. 

Chicago, 111., March 7, 1903. 
* ' * * I have very charming memories of my asso- 
ciation with Mrs. Eagle during the World's Fair, 
whose abilities were of the highest. ****-.! have 
read, with pleasure, the touching notices in the papers 
of her life and accomplishments. * * * 

Mrs. Bertha Annie Palmer. 

Russellville, Ky., March 1, 1903. 
!* * * It is with pleasure; and gratitude that I 
recall many acts and words of her kindness in my 
behalf. Only last summer when we met in Asheville 
she spoke words of kindness and encouragement that 
I shall always remember. How happy she made her 
friends. What a blessing she has been to the world. 
* * * E. H. Murfee. 

67 



Mena, Ark., March 16, 1903. 

* * * Our denominational interests all lose the 
help of a strong heart, a clear and vigorous mind, and 
an untiring worker. Who is to take her place among 
our Baptist ladies ? * * * 

W. L. Compere. 

, Little Kock, Ark., March 9, 1903. 

* * * On first sight being unusually impressed by 
her commanding presence, nobility of expression and 
personal beauty. * * * I could see no other face 
for its sweetness, kindness and nobility. * * * 
One glance from Mrs. Eagle and one spoken word 
from her matchless lips reached the soul because coming 
from a soul full of love to God and mankind. I saw 
that kindly glance and heard that noble word. * * * 

Mrs. W. T. Payne. 

Norfolk, Va., February 20, 1903. 

* * * Since I first met her at the Convention in 
Augusta in 1885, I have thought of her as one of 
the noblest, handsomest, wisest and best women of my 
acquaintance. Her ambitions were all of the exalted 
type. * * * ' J. J. Taylor. 

Waco, Tex., February 21, 1903. 

* * * Her loss will be keenly felt, not only in the 
home and church which she so gracefully and sweetly 
adorned, but throughout this country where she was 
loved and honored for her great personal charms, real 
intellectual gifts and wide Christian influence. * * * 

Mr. and Mrs. J. A. Brown. 

68 



Little Kock, Ark., March 20, 1903. 

* * * So many of Mrs. Eagle's friends have said 
to me, " I have lost my best friend." * * * Mrs. 
Eagle is truly missed in this house. East or west, 
north or south, there was none like her to us, and I 
doubt if there ever will be. * * * 

Mrs. Ella T. Newton. 

Louisville, Ky., March 19, 1903. 

* * * Mrs. Eagle and I have been warm friends 
and fellow- workers. While I deeply sympathize with 
you, I yet rejoice that we shall meet her again where 
sorrow is unknown.* * * 

Agnes Osborne. 

Stanford, Ky., March 17, 1903. 

* * * I loved and admired Cousin Mamie. She 
was so kind, generous and unselfish. She brought 
much sunshine into my early life, and today I have the 
sweetest memories of the days I spent in her home. 
Hers was a beautiful, fruitful and well-spent life. 

* * * Miss Annie H. Shanks. 

Montgomery, Ala., March 17, 1903. 

* * * I assure you of the real bereavement we all 
feel in the loss of your noble wife. I can scarcely 
realize that one so beautiful, so charming and useful, 
whose life was such a benediction to all who knew her. 
is really dead ; never to be seen and enjoyed again in 
this life. She scarcely seemed to be born to die. 

* * * J. Haralson. 

69 



Salisbury, K C., March 12, 1903. 
My acquaintance with your wife was only slight, 
yet her impression on me was such that I felt as if I 
had always known her, and I shall never forget that 
visit she made us. * * * 

Miss Lottie Eagle. 

40 West 85th St., New York City, 
March 14, 1903. 

* * * You will never cease to mourn her loss, but 
the memory of what she has been, not only to you, but to 
those who were her associates in various lines of work, 
will always live. Mrs. Eagle was more than brave 
through her trying illness and met the summons with 
a fortitude that must be a reconciliation to you, even 
in your grief. * * * 

Mrs. M. E. Troutmann. 

Waco, Tex., February 19, 1903. 

* * * God gave to you one of the most charming 
of women for a wife. She has now been called home 
to God and you are left alone in your deep sorrow. 
May the sweet and near presence of God be your 
comforter. * * " * 

J. M. Carroll. 

St, Joseph, Mo., February 19, 1903. 
Sister Eagle was more than kind to me. Your 
lovely home in Little Rock was adorned by her beau- 
tiful hospitality. Through her the grace of the Lord 
did shine upon the servants of the Lord in your devoted 
home. * * * KB. Pittman. 

70 



Ellisville, Miss., February 20, 1903. 
Indeed it is grievous to know that one so noble, so 
generous, so kind and one of so much inexpressible 
value to the world and the church should be called away 
from us while in the very bloom of a precious work for 
the betterment of womankind. * * * Thank God 
our hearts of love can pierce beyond the stars and thus 
abide with her till we meet again. 

L. L. Boone. 

Louisville, Ky., February 20, 1903. 
* * * Mrs. Eagle presented to my mind a rare combi- 
nation of strength and loveliness of character. Oh, how 
you must miss her ! It has been well said, " There is 
no loveliness like that caused by the loss of one who 
made loveliness possible." Such a loss turns the garden 
of life into a desert. But the very magnitude of your 
loss deepens your gratitude to God for having given 
her to you. • Her memory will ever rest like a benedic- 
tion on your life. The very darkness that covers you 
with this shadow is but the proof of the brightness her 
presence brought you and for which you have much 
occasion for thanking God. * * * 

T. T. Eaton. 

Savannah, Ga., March 14, 1903. 
* * I loved and admired her. She was my 
ideal. The memory of her personality and character 
will always inspire me to higher things. * * * 

Mrs. B. G. Jordon. 

71 



Covington, Ky., February 20, 1903. 

* * * If all who yield to Him could repose with 
such confidence on the Savior. and could leave such a 
legacy of devoted service to the Master as your noble 
wife. The picture of her unfailing loyalty to you, and 
of your thoughtful consideration for her at all times, 
has served by example to strengthen and sweeten 
domestic joy of many a home. Purified by grace and 
suffering, it is blessed to know she is with the Lord. 

* * * C. W. Daniel. 

Richmond, Ky., February, 1903. 
You have our sincere sympathy in the loss of your 
magnificent wife. * * ■ * 

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Phelps. 

Whitewright, Tex., February 18, 1903. 

* * * I knew and appreciated the friendship of 
your cultured and Christian wife. * * * 

J. B. Riddle. 

Gum Springs, Ark., February 18, 1903. 
We learned yesterday of the death of dear Mrs. 
Eagle. To say we regret it does not express our 



sorrow. * * * 



W. A. Forbes. 



Richmond, Ky., February 19, 1903. 
Our deepest sympathy in your great bereavement. 
Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Caperton. 

Weldon, Ark., February 20, 1903. 
* ■ * . * I write this to let you know that your noble, 
bright wife not only made a good impression on the 

72 



church of which she was a member, but on others of 
other communions. * * * 

J. F. Jernigan. 

Bristol, Tenn., February 20, 1903. 
I was pained to read in a newspaper to-day of the 
death of your wife. * * * 

J. R. Dickey. 

Mena, Ark., February 20, 1903. 

* * * It was with deep sorrow of heart that I read 
of the death of your beloved wife. * * * 

W. L. A. Stranburg. 

Pine Bluff, Ark., February 22, 1903. 

* * * We shall ever cherish as one of the pleasant 
memories of this life the very charming acquaintance 
we have had with her and that we so loved and honored 
her that we gave her name to the first child born to us 
after our acquaintance with her. * * * 

H. King White. 

Columbia, Mo., February 19, 1903. 

* * * I met Mrs. Eagle but once at Ashevillq 
during the session of the Southern Baptist Convention, 
but I grew to admire her as a woman of many accom- 
plishments and of noble heart. * * * 

E. W. Stephens. 

Dallas, Tex., February 18, 1903. 

* * . * We ourselves are stricken in the death of 
your beloved, for we counted her among our best 

friends. * * * 

J. B. Gambrell. 

73 



Dallas, Tex., February 19, 1903. 

* # # jf r s. Truett joins me in these lines. Long 
have we both held in highest esteem your heart's com- 
panion, whom the loving Master has summoned home. 
We esteemed her for her remarkable gifts and graces, 
but most of all for her consecration of such gifts and 
graces to the glory of our common Savior and Lord, 

* * * George W. Truett. 

DeWitt, Ark., February 22, 1903. 

* * * You know that the dearly beloved one was 
in the hands of Him who doeth all things well, that 
she loved Him, obeyed Him, and was submissive to 
His will. Are you not in the same hands ? Can you 
not with like meekness of spirit and Christian confi- 
dence submit to the will of her God ? 

W. H. Halliburton. 

Humboldt, Tenn., March 3, 1903. 

* * * It is a consolation to know that while the 
family, the church, the community and country have 
suffered a great loss in her death, the Master's king- 
dom is enriched. * * * 

H. C. Burnett. 

Jonesboro, Ark., February 23, 1903. 

* # ■* p ra i se to God for such a woman who has 
bettered the world by having lived in it. * * * 
Indeed, we count ourselves very fortunate to have had 
her among our very best friends and to have been 
permitted to be in her home and see the saintly dignity 

74 



with which her home was governed, and to feel the 
warmth of that sw 7 eet Christian spirit. * * . * 
Mr. and Mrs. E. C. Medaris. 



Washington, D. C, February 22, 1903. 

* * * ^r W o. m a n ever lived in the State who was 
held in such high and general esteem and admiration 
as was Mrs. Eagle, and she will be greatly missed far 
outside the immediate circle of her home, church and 
intimate friends. And while she died in the midst 
of her usefulness and in the prime of life, she was not 
called away until she had done very much for the people 
of the State. * * * We shall miss her greatly, 
and shall bear her in affectionate remembrance as long 
as we shall live. 

E. E. Givens. 

. Monticello, Ark., February 19, 1903. 

* * '» We too loved the sainted Mrs. Eagle and 
cannot think of her death without a tear. * * * 
She will be missed in the home, and the world will seem 
cheerless to you, but remember that she is missed by 
all the Baptists in the South. * * * 

S. H. Campbell. 

Bentonvillo, Ark., February 19, 1903. 

* * * I write to say that I too feel that in her I 
have lost a friend. She was such a noble woman, one 
whose example any woman might be proud to follow. 

* * * Mrs. A. 1ST. Hobbs. 

75 



Jonesboro, Ark., February 20, 1903. 

* * * Your dear and now sainted wife, we are all 
well aware, was a leading light in our woman's mission 
work, in our State, and throughout the South. Oh, 
how we shall miss her sweet words of encouragement in 
our work! Her judgment was always good and in 
every word and manner she portrayed her beautiful 
Christian character. * * * 

Mrs. Annie E. Clark. 

Bentonville, Ark., February 18, 1903. 
I write to say I learn with much regret of the 
death of your wife and my friend. * * * 

J. A. Rice. 

Paragould, Ark., February 22, 1903. 

* * * I have been for more than fifteen years one 
of the strong admirers of Mrs. Eagle, who recognize 
her great moral and intellectual worth, her progressive 
spirit in all things tending toward the material and 
moral development of our State. No man in Arkansas 
had a companion of whom he could be more justly 
proud. * * * J. R. Taylor. 

Krump, Ark., March 27, 1903. 
Sister Eagle was a power for good among the 

Baptists all over the State. 

John McKenney. 

Kirksville, Ky., April 21, 1903. 

* * * Mamie's life has had a greater influence over 
my life than anyone else, and I feel that I owe all 

76 



to her as the agent of God in causing me to see the error 
of my way and turn to Christ for help and guidance. 

* * * J. B. Oldham. . 

Hotel Irving, 26 Grammercy Park, 
NewYork City, April 7, 1903. 
I first met Mrs. Eagle at a meeting of the Southern 
Baptist Convention, and immediately was I impressed 
by her attractive personality, her remarkable power of 
adaptation, her kind consideration for every one who 
was presented to her 3 her intelligence on all lines of 
our Christian work, her power to influence others in the 
recognition and prosecution of the work of missions 
fostered by our women of the South, and her well 
rounded Christian character. Our brethren and sisters 
all through the South felt for her the most affectionate 
regard, and she will be missed at our annual gatherings* 

* * * , H. Allen Tupper, Jr. 

Salt Lake City, Utah, March 28, 1903. 

* * * In my mind she was an ideal lady whose life 
might well be chosen as an example for all young ladies 
who seek to be a credit to themselves, their husbands 
and their State. She well deserved all the praise and 
honor that was bestowed upon her. 

W. T. Gunter. 

Bentonville, Ark., April 13, 1903. 

* * * I want to say that no friend of yours could 
regret it more than I do. I knew her for a great 
many years and knew what a splendid lady she was, 

77 



and how absolutely devoted she was to you, and I think 
you know without my saying so that through all the 
years that have come and gone since we first met in the 
legislature of 1873 I have been your sincere friend, 

James H. Berry. 

Fay, Ala., February 18, 1903. 

* * * Be assured of the hearty sympathy and 
prayers of wife and myself, and thousands of others. 

* * * A. B. Campbell. 

Bellefonte, Ark., April 21, 1903. 

* * * May her memory like a living presence 
stimulate us to noble efforts, and may the purity and 
beauty of her life be a model to us, constraining us 
so to live that when death comes to us we may be 
able to say as she did, " I am going to a better home." 

* * * Mattie Eagle. 

Tarlac Tarlac, P. I., March 30, 1903. 

* * * As a friend, neighbor and a loyal son of 
Arkansas I extend to you my most tender and sincere 
sympathy. She was a noble woman and her life was 
an example and inspiration for good to the whole com- 
munity. I have no words to express what I feel^ but 
rely on what you know is the sincerity of my friend- 
ship. * * * Milton Vaughan. 

Philadelphia, Ark., February 20, 1903. 
My deepest sympathy and love go out to you in 
your great personal bereavement. * * * 

Bansom Gulley. 

78 



Salisbury, N. C., May 7, 1903. 

* * * I cannot reconcile myself to her going away. 
She was so charming, so lovely in face, form and dispo- 
sition; so accomplished, so devoted to you. I love to 
dwell on her virtues. I know how you must miss her ! 

* * * Mary R. Price. 

Bowling Green, Ky., May 4, 1903. 

* * * I have often thought of you and of the great 
loss you sustained in the death of your, beloved wife and 
companion. * * * 

C. W. Potter. 

Heber, Ark., February 21, 1903. 

* * * May God's grace to you in this great 
bereavement be the comforter and companion of your 
life. * * * J. H. Hall. 

Cabot, Ark., February 21, 1903. 
Your friends out here greatly sympathize with you 
in your sad bereavement. * * * 

W. M. Patton. 

Conway, Ark., February 19, 1903. 
It is with deepest sorrow that I have learned of 
your sad bereavement. 

W. W. Rivers. 

Farmersville, Tex., February 19, 1903. 

* * * Accept the deep sympathy of my heart in 
consequence of the great affliction which has come to 
you in the death of your dear. wife. 

A. J. Fawcett. 

79 



■Jf X •& 
affliction. 



Louisville, Ky., February 23, 1903. 
I have been deeply grieved over your great 

J. M. Prestridge. 



Washington, D. 0., February 18, 1903. 

* * * I feel the total inadequacy of words to 
console in such a trial. * * * 

E. C. Johnson. 

Greenville, S. C, February 24, 1903. 
Permit me to drop a line to express my heartfelt 
sympathy for you in this great sorrow. 

A. J. S. Thomas. 

Louisville, Ky., February 24, 1903. 
Allow me to express a word of sympathy to you in 
your unspeakable bereavement on behalf of our house- 
hold. * * * 

A. G. Eobertson. 

Louisville, Ky., February 28, 1903. 

* * * She seemed so strong and capable and full 
of life when I saw her last, that it seems almost incred- 
ible that she has passed away. * * * 

E. Y. Mullins. 

Fayetteville, Ark., February 23, 1903. 

* * * I write to extend my condolence in your 
great affliction. * ' * * . ; 

H. S. Hartzog. 

Lonoke, Ark., February 23, 1903. 

* * * We want you to know that we sympathize 
with you in your great affliction. * * * 

P. H. Wheat, Jr. 

80 



Little Kock, Ark., February 16, 1903. 
The members of the Ministerial Association of 
Little Rock desire to express to you, through me, their 
utmost sympathy. * " * 

J. JT. Jessup. 

Mt. Sterling, Ky., March 4, 1903. 
On behalf of my mother, Mrs. Margaret Kava- 
naugh Chenault, * * * and for myself, I write 
this letter of sympathy and condolence * * * on 
account of the death of your estimable wife. 

W. O. Chenault. 

Fort Smith, Ark., February 17, 1903. 

* * * May God bless and comfort you. May He 
give you grace sufficient for this great trial. * * * 

Finley F. Gibson. 

Hot Springs, Ark., February 17, 1903. 
Accept my heartfelt sympathy for you in your 
great affliction. 

E. C. Ellis. 

Mt. Vernon, 111., February 16, 1903. 

* * * You have my heartfelt sympathy. I know 
what you are suffering. * * * 

I. P. Langley. 

610 Jordon St., Macon, Ga., 
February 23, 1903. 
My heart goes out to you in tenderest sympathy in 
this dark hour of sorrow and affliction. * * * 

C. B. Willingham. 

81 



Nashville, Tenn., February 22, 1903. 

* * ■ * Every year I see more clearly why the good 
old hymn, " How Firm a Foundation/' is loved by 
God's people. * * * 

B. W Spilman. 

Little Bock, Ark., February 17, 1903. 

* * * Believe me, Governor, that I am in a posi- 
tion to sympathize with you. * . * * 

J. A. Dibrell. 

Lonoke, Ark., February 17, 1903. 

* * * I would be glad to be with you alone ; not to 
talk, but to silently sit by you, for silence is the great 
cure to me for trouble and grief. * * * 

P. H. Wheat, Sr. 

Lexington, Ky., February 26, 1903. 

* * * You have my deepest sympathy in your 
great sorrow. * * * 

W. I. Nowlin. 

Batesville, Ark., February 17, 1903. 
*-•**! write to give you sincere assurance of 
brotherly sympathy in your great bereavement and 



sorrow. * * 



Z. T. Bennett. 



Nashville, Tenn., February 15, 1903. 

Out of the pain of my own unhealed heart there 

goes the fraternal sympathy of one who knows the 

fellowship of suffering. * * * 

Lansing Burrows. 

82 



Athens, Ga., March 3, 1903. 

* * * I assure you that I sympathize with you in 
your sad bereavement. * * * 

H. B. Bernard. 

Texarkana, Ark., February 17, 1903. 
Accept our tenderest sympathy in your great 
sorrow. 

C. B. and L. B. Moore. 

Louisville, Ky., February 17, 1903. 
In behalf of the Seminary, I express sympathy in 
your bereavement. W. O. Carver. 

Fort Smith, Ark., February 17, 1903. 
Accept our deepest sympathy in your present 
bereavement. Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Parker. 

Quanah, Tex., February 17, 1903. 
Greatly surprised and grieved at the sad news. I 
mourn with you. Mrs. L. Simpson. 

Hot Springs, Ark., February 15, 1903. 
My heart goes out to you in your unspeakable 
bereavement. J. P. Cranfill. 

Louisville, Ky., February 15, 1903. 
Sincerest sympathy and condolence. Revelation 
7 :13-17 inclusive. T. T. Eaton. 

" And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, 
1 What are these which are arrayed in white robes ? and 
whence came they V And I said unto him, l Sir, thou 

83 



knowest.' And he said unto me, ' These are they which 
came out of great tribulation, and have washed their 
robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 
Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve 
Him day and night in His temple; and He that sitteth 
on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall 
hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall 
the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb 
which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, 
and shall lead them unto living fountains of water ; and 
God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.' " 

Dallas, Tex., February 17, 1903. 
Accept our sincere and heartfelt sympathy in your 
great bereavement. 

Mrs. Hattie Walters Eussell. 

Hot Springs, Ark., February 17, 1903. 
Our heartfelt sympathy in your sad bereavement 
and irreparable loss. 

Dr. and Mrs. Keller. 

Texarkana, Ark., February 17, 1903. 
We have lost a friend and you a wife without superiors. 

Mr. and Mrs. L. H. Byrne. 

Austin, Tex., February 16, 1903. 
* * * A nobler spirit never lived on earth than 
she possessed. E. E. M. Cochran. 

Fort Smith, Ark., February 16, 1903. 

I shall attend the funeral. 

Ben B. Chism. 

84 



St. Louis, Mo., February 16, 1903. 
My heart goes out in sympathy for you in the loss 
of your most lovable and accomplished wife. 

We are saddened by news of Mrs. Eagle's death. 

S. W. Fordyce. 

Washington, D. C, February 15, 1903. 

We are distressed by the terrible news, but we 
know that it is well with her. You and the thousands 
who loved her suffer a great calamity. May God bless 
and comfort you in your great grief. My wife and 
family join in love and sympathy for you. 

James K. Jones. 

Nashville, Tenn., February 15, 1903. 
First Church by action sends sincerest condolence. 
Personally I share your affliction. I Thessalonians 
4:16-18. Lansing Burrows. 

" For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven 
with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with 
the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise 
first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be 
caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the 
Lord in the air ; and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 
Wherefore comfort one another with these words." 

'New York, February 20, 1903. 

* * * I mourn the irreparable loss of her whom we 
loved so well. Mrs. H. G. Hollenberg. 

85 



Macon, Ga. ? February 21, 1903. 
Our Missionary Institute sends sincerest sympathy 
in your unspeakable bereavement. 

S. G-. Jamson. 



86 



Savannah, Ga., May 9, 1903. 
Governor James P. Eagle: 

Dear Sir and Brother — The Woman's Missionary 
Union has honored me with the mission of expressing 
to you their tenderest sympathy in your irreparable 
loss in the "home-going" of your loved and honored 
wife. 

Our own sense of loss serves faintly to picture 
yours. Alas, for the weakness of all forms of speech 
when we seek for fitting w r ords to clothe the loving and 
tender thoughts we have of her who through so many 
years gave of her best and highest powers to the work 
of our organization. 

We who knew her shall always miss her and mourn 
her loss from our ranks; but the thought of her bliss 
unutterable ,in the home eternal in the Father's house 
of many mansions checks the selfish sorrow which would 
fain have stayed her heavenward flight. 

Her brave words cheering you on to greater 
work for Christ must ever be a reminder of the immor- 
tality of love. That you may fulfill her prophecy of 
this greater work for God before you go to join her in 
the land of the fadeless bloom, where there is neither 
sorrow nor crying, is the earnest prayer of her 
co-workers of the Missionary Union. 

Faithfully your sister, 

Mrs. J. B. Gambrell. 



87 



Resolutions of Respect. 



The Missionary Union, Savannah, Ga. 

The Missionary Union, auxiliary to the Southern 
Baptist Convention, in session Savannah, 6a., Mrs. 
O. F. Gregory, chairman of the committee on obitu- 
aries, reported the following concerning the death of 
Mrs. James P. Eagle, vice president of the Woman's 
Missionary Union for Arkansas, and wife of the pres- 
ident of the Convention ; a regular attendant and earnest 
participator in the annual meetings of this Union, 
which was adopted: 

" She was indeed a remarkable woman. Few were 
better informed on matters of state or passing events ; 
no one was more gracious or kind in social life, nor 
better equipped as a useful member of society. Her 
conversation was bright and sparkling, but never frivo- 
lous; her friendship was sincere and candid, and her 
loyalty to her friends was a thing to be admired and 
cherished by them. Her fidelity to the church of her 
choice was only equalled by the readiness with which 
she served her Master and the intelligent consecration 
of her gifts was the expression of a soul imbued with 

89 



the desire to make the world better for having lived in 
it. She was an admirable presiding officer; wise in 
council, progressive in tendency, and energetic in the 
accomplishment of the ends she aimed at. We shall 
miss her presence and her counsels." 

Central Committee, Arkansas Baptist 
State Convention. 

Preamble and resolutions adopted by the Central 
Committee, auxiliary to the Baptist State Convention: 

Whereas, God, in His wise providence, has 
called to her eternal home our dear friend, and wholly 
efficient president, Mrs. Mary K. O. Eagle, therefore 
be it 

Resolved, That the Central Committee has sus- 
tained an irreparable loss. We will miss her genial 
presence, her clear judgment^ her carefully laid plans, 
and her superior excutive ability. 

Resolved, That we extend to our Brother Eagle 
our tenderest sympathy and bid him think of her as 
just over there resting in the shade of the trees ; she is 
not dead ; such lives cannot die ; she lives in many noble 
deeds ; she lives in myriads of kind and helpful words ; 
she lives in all the good work she has set in motion for 
the betterment of mankind; she lives in hearts that 
will ever love and cherish her; she lives, star-crowned 
eternally, to praise God for the gift of the loving Christ 
through whose redemptive power the world may be 
reconciled to God. 

90 



Resolved, That we will cherish the work she 
loved and give to it our best endeavor, and that a page 
in our record book be devoted to her memory. 

Mrs. E. Longley, 
Mrs. Carroll D. Wood, 
Mrs. John L. Hawkins, 
Mrs. J. W. Colquitt, 
Mrs. A. L. Smith, 
Mrs. C. B. Davidson, 
Mrs. J. F. Hammett, 

Central Committee. 

As a further testimony of the love the State 
Central Committee, auxiliary to the Baptist State Con- 
vention, had for their sister and co-worker, they 
published and circulated the following: 

Some Marked Passages Found in the Bible of 
Mrs. James P. Eagle. 

The Eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are 
the everlasting arms. Deut. 33 :27. 



Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord 
pitieth them that fear Him. For He knoweth our 
frame ; He remembereth that we are dust. Psa. 103 : 
13-14. 



Fear thou not, for I am w T ith thee; be not dis- 
mayed ; for I am thy God ; I will strengthen thee ; yea, 

91 



I will help thee ; yea, I will uphold thee with the right 
hand of My righteousness. Isa. 41 :10. 



When thou passest through the waters I will be 
with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not over- 
flow thee; when thou walkest through the fire, thou 
shalt not be burned; neithqr shall the flame kindle 
upon thee. Isa. 43 :2. 



And we know that all things work together for 
good to them that love God; to them who are called 
according to his purpose. Rom. 8 :28. 



For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, 
nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things 
present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor 
any other creature shall be able to separate us from 
the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 
Rom. 8 :38-39. 



Yea, though I walk through the valley of the 
shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with 
me, Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me. Psa. 
23 :4. 



Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and after- 
ward receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but 
Thee ? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside 
Thee. Psa. 73:24^25. 

92 



Let not thy heart be troubled ; ye believe in God 
believe also in Me. In my Father's house are many 
mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. 
I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and 
prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive 
you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be 
also. John 14:1-3. 



For we know that if our earthly house of this taber- 
nacle w r ere dissolved, we have a building of God, a 
house not made with hands ; eternal in the heavens. 
2 Cor. 5 :1. 



Behold, I show you a mystery, we shall not all 
sleep, but we shall all be changed. In a moment, ii* 
the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for thq 
trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incor- 
ruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corrupt- 
ible must piyt on incorruption, and this mortal must 
put on immortality; then shall be brought to pass the 
saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 
O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy 
victory ? The sting of death is sin, and the strength o$ 
sin is the law. But thanks be to God which giveth us 
the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Cor. 
15:51-57. 



But I would not have you be ignorant, brethren, 
concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not 
even as others which have no hope. For if we believe 
that Jesus died, and rose again, even so them also 

93 



which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him. 
* * * Wherefore comfort one another with these 
words. 1 Thes. 4:13-14-18. 



These are they which come out of great tribulation, 
and have washed their robes and made them white in 
the blood of the Lamb. 

Therefore are they before the throne of God, and 
serve Him day and night in His temple, and He that 
sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They 
shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more, neither 
shall the sun light on them nor any heat. For the 
Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed 
them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of 
water, and God shall wipe away all tears from their 
eyes. Rev. 7 :14-7. 



And there shall be no night there, and they need 
no candle, neither light of the sun, for the Lord God 
giveth them light, and they shall reign forever and ever. 
Eev. 22:5. 



The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; 
blessed be the name of the Lord. Job 1 :21. 

Ladies' Aid and Missionary Society Second Baptist 
Church, Little Rock 

The Ladies' Aid and Missionary Society of the 
Second Baptist Church, Little Rock, of which she was 
a member, passed the following resolutions: 

94 



Whereas, It has pleased our Heavenly Father, 
in His infinite wisdom and unerring judgment, to call 
from the scenes of her earthly sufferings and triumphs 
to rest eternal, our much loved sister, Mary K. Eagle, 
and 

Whereas, By a useful and self-sacrificing life 
she endeared herself to those with whom she was asso- 
ciated and won the lasting affection and esteem of a 
host of friends and admirers, and 

Whereas, She made manifest in her life the 
power and influence that a thoroughly consecrated 
Christian woman, cultured in manner and trained in 
service, can display, thus giving to us and to others an 
example worthy of emulation, and 

Whereas, We recognize that a most grievous 
loss has been sustained by her home, her church, the 
community, and this Society with which she was so 
long identified, and 

Whereas, It is fitting that we should give public 
expression of our appreciation of her worth and our 
recognition of her virtues, therefore, be it 

Resolved, That we are mindful of the fact that 
the death of our sister has brought sadness to a home 
in which her loving care and kindly ministrations made 
her life a constant benediction; to a church where her 
presence and interest, her zeal and devotion, were felt 
most potently for good; to a community in which her 
richly endowed intellect and highly cultured mind made 
her easily a leader in all that tends to upbuild and 
strengthen the moral, the intellectual and spiritual 

95 



forces; and to our Society where her counsel, her 
assistance, and her sunny temperament lent much of 
inspiration to her co-laborers. 

Resolved, That we shall cherish her memory and 
strive to emulate her virtues, and that, with her force- 
ful example of fruitful living before us, we shall 
endeavor to approximate at least the standard to which 
she attained, and live daily more nearly in accord with 
the life and character of the Divine Ideal. 

Resolved, That, to our beloved brother, James P. 
Eagle, we tendier our sincere condolence, reminding 
him that, though next to his desire for the advancement 
of his Master's cause and the salvation of his fellowman, 
his highest ambition was to make home happy for his 
loved companion, yet she has gone to a better home than 
his* utmost care and solicitude could provide for her — 
the home of many mansions, God himself the maker 
and builder thereof. 

Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be 
furnished our bereft brother ; that the Baptist Advance 
be requested to publish them, and that a page suitably 
inscribed be set apart in our minutes, sacred to the 
memory of our absent sister. 

Mrs. Carroll D. Wood, 
Mrs. Caleb Ewin Witt, 
Mrs. Charles M. Newton, 

Committee. 



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Resolutions from Ladies' Aid Society, 
Fayetteville, Ark. 

The Ladies' Aid Society of the First Baptist 
Church of Fayetteville, Ark., passed fitting resolutions, 
from which the following is taken: 

" Whereas, It has pleased Almighty God to call 
from her sphere of usefulness our beloved sister and 
leader, Mrs. James P. Eagle, whose life was such a 
loving benediction to those who knew her, and around 
which cluster so many sweet memories, and 

" Whereas, The cause of Christ has been deprived 
of one of its most distinguished followers, the Baptist 
denomination of a most consistent member, and the 
Ladies' Aid Societies throughout the State of a most 
efficient leader, therefore, be it 

" Resolved, That the Aid Society of Fayetteville 
has sustained an irreparable loss, and that we greatly 
deplore the death of our beloved sister and co-worker." 

The Baptist Church at Heber, Ark. 

The Baptist Church at Heber, Ark., held a special 
memorial service, adopting resolutions of sympathy and 
condolence. With reference to the great work of Mrs. 
Eagle, the following was expressed: 

" We recognize that every line of denominational 
work, especially the Woman's work, has lost one of its 
greatest leaders. That struggling churches and denom- 
inational enterprises have lost one of their most liberal 

97 



contributors. That her zealous and untiring efforts to 
advance the cause of Christ are worthy of emulation." 

Ladies' Aid and Missionary Society, Pine Bluff 
Baptist Church. 

Resolutions were also adopted by the Ladies' Aid 
and Missionary Society of the Pine Bluff Baptist 
Church, from which the following extract is taken : 

" Since it has pleased our Heavenly Father to call 
to 'her better home' one who has been so much to us, 
Mrs. James P. Eagle, we, the Ladies' Aid and Mission- 
ary Society of First Baptist Church, Pine Bluff, Ark., 
do unite in paying to her memory this last tribute : 

"Resolved, First, That not our Society alone, but 
the sister societies throughout the State have suffered 
a loss in the death of this noble Christian woman. That 
we recognize in her the highest type of Christian 
womanhood. She was indeed 

" 'A perfect woman nobly planned, 

To warn, to comfort, and to command ; 
And yet a spirit pure and bright, 
With something of an angel's light.' 

" Resolved, Second, That in her unfaltering 
fidelity to her God, she has ever shone like a guiding 
star, and her life has been an inspiration to the sister- 
hood throughout the State. She is gone, but 'her works 
do live after her.' " 

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Ladies' Aid Society of Lonoke Baptist Church. 

The following is an extract from a paper read 
before the Ladies' Aid Society of the Lonoke Baptist 
Church by Mrs. Annie M. S. Bell. Mrs. Eagle was 
once a member of this society : 

" She fully realized her duty as a Christian and 
as the wife of a minister of the Gospel of Christ. She 
did not forget her God, and she showed her love and 
appreciation by doing many good works in His name, 
Eight here I believe w r as the great strength and beauty 
of her character. While she was honored as a queen in 
society, and stood in the front rank in many of the most 
prominent literary clubs and societies, and also held 
many prominent positions where her intellectual worth 
w T as recognized, still she was ever the same trustful, 
helpful Christian worker. She honored God by giving 
Him the best service of her life in whatever sphere she 
was called to occupy." 

By the Woman's Co-operative Association, 
Little Rock. 

At a special service held by the Woman's Co-opera- 
tive Association on Thursday, March 5, 1903, a glowing 
tribute was read by Mrs. S. R. Allen. From this the 
following is taken: 

" The church of her choice w 7 ill long mourn her. 
The Co-operative Association in which she was an 
earnest worker will crown her vacant chair. * * * 

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Mrs. Eagle was born to life's purple, but I pay her the 
highest tribute one woman can pay another when I say 
that I believe that she would have filled her sphere of 
duty just as nobly had she been born to wear a home- 
spun gown, and live in a cabin instead of a mansion; 
for love was the keynote of her life. Love was the 
foundation on which was built the very temple of her 
being, and her home would be wherever her loved ones 
were, and would be for her the dearest spot on earth. 
* . * * Mrs. Eagle once said to the writer : i I am 
called sentimental — I am glad that I am. All good 
efforts are the outgrowth of sentiment. Love itself is 
a sentiment, and upon that every woman's heart may 
rest in safety V " 

By the Fortnightly Club, Fort Smith. 

Letter from the Fortnightly Club, Fort Smith. 
Ark.: 

Fort Smith, Ark., February 26, 1903. 

To the Honorable Ex-Governor James P. Eagle and 
Mrs. Miller. 

Dear Sir and Madam — On behalf of the Fort- 
nightly Club of this city, I am directed to address this 
letter of condolence to you. In the death of Mrs. Eagle 
our club most painfully realizes the great loss our State 
Federation of Women's Clubs has sustained. In all 
our Federation meetings she was always wise in counsel 
and tender and loving in her bearing. She was truly 
devoted to the cause of woman in our State and every- 
thing that tended to her elevation and betterment. The 

100 



loss of her from our ranks is irreparable. We ask the 
honor to mourn with you. 

Sincerely yours, 

Mrs. J. D. Van Winkle, 

Secretary, 

By the Aesthetic Club, Little Rock. 

From a paper read before the Aesthetic Club, of 
Little Rock, by Mrs. Edgar Burton Kinsworthy, the 
following extract has been taken : 

" I can add nothing to the glory of her extra- 
ordinarily beautiful life. i Her actions alone praise 
her.' Her life lies before us a fair and well written 
epistle. Fascinated by the pure and lofty character 
of our deceased friend, we are loath to break the mirror 
of admiration into fragments of analysis. But, lo, as 
we attempt it, every fragment becomes a miniature of 
such beauty and sublimity, that the destructive hand 
can only multiply the forms of immortality. * * * 
Her home was a veritable Mecca to .which many people 
of all classes and conditions made frequent pilgrimages, 
They sought her advice, symapthy and counsel. No 
heart ever came away empty. Her home was as holy as 
a church. It was a temple for the Divine Presence. 
* * * Her life was short, having just touched its 
noon — more filled with deeds than days. Her char- 
acter warrants the apprehension that 

" ' Take her for all in all, 

We ne'er shall look upon her like again.' 
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" The influence of her zeal, her devoted labor, her 
noble character upon all with whom she came in contact, 
will never pass away. * * * She carved her own 
statue ; she built her own monument." 



' ? 



To Mary. 

Written in Little Rock, November, 1902, by Dr. 
S. H. Ford, St. Louis, the oldest active Baptist preacher 
living, when Mamie was in Louisville, Ky., under 
treatment. 

I'm here in Little Rock, Mary, 

Greeted by grasping hands, 
And I gaze with sadness on the block, 

Where a stately mansion stands. 

And a sadness fills my heart, Mary, 

As I look upon the scene, 
And that mansion seems all desolate 

In the absence of its queen. 

I have stood within those walls, Mary, 

And felt a cheer and charm, 
As I walked its pictured halls, Mary, 

And leaned upon thine arm. 

But those walls and halls seem sad, Mary, 

Like a fair departed dream, 
And nothing there makes glad, Mary, 

In the absence of its queen. 

The stars are beaming bright, Mary, 
From those Southern cloudless skies, 

And hopes spring into light, Mary, 
As future scenes arise. 

102 



When you shall reign again, Mary, 

For many a happy day, 
And with a pious gentle reign, 

Your queenly scepter sway. 

God bless my loved heart's daughter, Mary, 

With health and hope serene, 
And circle her with gladness, 

In the home of which she's queen. 

To My Heart's Daughter, Mary K. E. 

(A Prayer in Song by an Old Pilgrim.) 

In the still hours of night closing year ninety-one, 

I bow, blessed Savior, to Thee. 
Oh, hear my soul's prayer, though uttered in song, 

Bless my heart's-daughter, Mary K. E — ! 

As the brightness and beauty of radiant skies 

Are glassed in the sheen of the sea, 
So the heaven-born life-love beams forth from the eyes 

Of my heart's-daughter, Mary K. E — 

And the smile and the glance of those eyes and that face 

With the heart in full concord agree, 
For true as the pole-star and guided by grace 

Is my heart's-daughter, Mary K. E — 

My gracious Redeemer, 'mid life's ebbing tide, 

May this prayer be accepted by Thee, 
In cloud and in sunshine, in blessing abide 

With my heart's-daughter, Mary K. E — 

S. H. F. 
Jennings, Mo., January 1, 1902. 

103 



From Mrs. Kate Miller, of Kichmond, Ky., came 
the following lines as a tribute to her departed sister: 

The frost of death is on her brow, 

The waxen hands lie still and cold; 
And over eyes of softest blue 

The eye-lids' jetty fringes fold. 

Sweet thoughts seems poised upon the lips, 

Half smiling so like life they are, 
But light and thought have closed their doors — 

In brighter lands they wander far. 

The chiseled image, fair and white, 

Holds not the spirit fairer still, 
But all within is night and death ; 

And waits death's mission to fulfill. 

? Tis but the alabaster vase, 

Which holds our cherished rose in bloom ; 
The fragrance still we have, but she 

Now spreads her leaves in larger room. 

What though the tears from grieving hearts, 

Well up and flood our heavy eyes, 
Our sorrow still is full of hope; 

We know she lives in Paradise. 



104 



What though the curtain darkly falls 

And hides our friend from loving view; 

Whatever the clime where she abides, 
We know her loving, leal and true. 

That which we had we still will claim, 
Nor will w T e count our treasure lost; 

Sweet commune still with her we'll hold, 
Nor count the tears our parting cost. 

Nor hours, nor days, nor weary years, 
Can from our lives her life efface ; 

And somewhere in the halls of time, 
We'll meet and greet her face to face. 

For all events are garnered grain 
If we God's laws but understood. 

And days of care and nights of pain, 
And death and sorrow work for good. 

Nothing is lost in Wisdom's plan, 

Through toil and tears we reach the goal ; 

Toward that divine event we move, 
Which solves the mystery of the soul. 



105 



Tlie following lines were written by Mrs. Eagle 
upon leaving her country home, where her first seven 
years of married life had been spent, to go to the city 
and dwell in the Governor's mansion : 

Dear Eyrie. 

Oh ! Eyrie, blest home of a blissful abode ; 

Oh! peaceful seclusion, from thee we must go. 

Oh ! Eyrie, our Eyrie, 

How sadly we leave thee ! 

Thou home, most delightful, of seven years' pleasure, 
Pressed down, well rounded, without stint in measure, 
Sweet Eyrie, charmed Eyrie, 
Our hearts faint to leave thee. 

There are buildings we know, of brick and of stone ; 

These cannot compensate for our beloved home. 
Loved Eyrie, blest Eyrie, 
Our hearts break to leave thee. 

Though joy may attend, in a far away home, 
Still, thou shalt be our treasure for years to come. 

Bright Eyrie, green Eyrie, 

To strangers we leave thee. 

Our honeymoon-memory to thee will cling, 
In the distance of years, thy birds we'll hear sing. 
Kind Eyrie, friend Eyrie, 
With blessings we leave thee. 

106 



No cottage so small, such large, true hearts has held; 
May that love sealed here, no mansion unweld. 

Dear Eyrie, dear Eyrie, 

Adieu, adieu, to thee. 

Her Last Written Words. 

Possibly the last lines ever written by Mrs. Eagle 
were addressed to her husband, and found by him on 
his desk a few days after her death, The sentiment- 
expressed is so much in keeping with her ideal of true 
affection as carried out by her in her life that I cannot 
forbear inserting them here : 

" How easy it is to carry the golden thread 
of thought of those we love, into all, and through all, 
and around all, that we think, and see, and say, and do. 
How beautiful and harmonious throughout the web of 
life is made by this glint of glory, giving to the check- 
ered woof the show of sunshine in the midst and 
through the midst of clouds." 



107 



